Jonathan Smith gives his first impressions of Luniewski twin signees

Michigan State inked a big pair of recruits to Jonathan Smith’s first signing class, literally, as offensive linemen and twins Mercer Luniewski and Charlton Luniewski joined the 2024 class of Spartans. Smith’s first impression of the pair has been top notch.

And perhaps counter to their imposing size — Mercer is 6-foot-5, 310 pounds, Charlton is 6-foot-4, 285 pounds — the Luniewski twins have brought a good vibe along with them from southern Ohio. Both enrolled early at Michigan State.

“Physical, athletic at the line of scrimmage,” Smith said. “Both of them great personalities. They’re tied at the hip but they also were a part of helping us recruit. Been there, with this place for a long time and getting to know them on a personal level I’m excited about them joining us.” 

The pair of offensive linemen committed to Michigan State in June of 2023, when Mel Tucker was still the Spartans head coach.

And as Smith intimated, the duo sticking with the Spartans has gone a decent ways to keep his first class in shape and help future ones.

The Luniewski twins hail from Cincinnati and played high school football at Cincinnati Hills (Ohio) Christian Academy. Both were three-star recruits, with Mercer ranking No. 720 nationally and Charlton coming in at No. 1135 in the On3 Industry Rankings.

Neither is likely to come in and play immediately for the Spartans, but as Smith seeks to build a program on development and strong play in the trenches, the Luniewski twins are the sort of players that can be part of a foundation for years to come.

Smith has gotten plenty of praise early in his tenure

Smith was one of the earlier hires on the coaching carousel this offseason. He was also one of the best decisions by any program according to the opinion of Greg McElroy.

McElroy spoke about Smith getting the gig at Michigan State during ‘Always College Football’ last week. To him, his hire is right up there among one of the one or two best of the cycle. Part of that is because of his work in developing players while another is the success that he was able to generate over his six seasons in Corvallis, specifically their past two.

“I think this is as good of a hire as we’ve seen in the sport this year,” McElroy stated. “You look at just rank the hires, right? Jonathan Smith and Kalen DeBoer, to me, are, like, 1a and 1b. I love this hire for Michigan State.”

“(Smith) has done a great job of keeping a keen eye on the under the radar talent. He understands the player development piece,” said McElroy. “He also won at a program at Oregon State that most people thought was a very difficult place to consistently find success.”