A few minutes after noon Eastern Time on Wednesday, the next chapter of Michigan State football history added a few new pages. First-year head coach Jonathan Smith took to the stage on the floor of Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis to address the Big Ten and national media for the first time.
“It is great to be here today representing Michigan State University,” Smith said during the second day of the Big Ten Media Days event. “It's an exciting day to kick off and get started on this new adventure that me and my family are really looking forward to.”
Prior to taking the job in East Lansing, Smith had spent his entire career out west, including his most recent stop as head coach of his alma mater, Oregon State. But he seems to be embracing his change of address to the Midwest. So far, the transition has been smooth.
“I do think the community in East Lansing has been welcoming,” Smith said. “The people, the pride and passion … I don't think that's different than the West Coast, but you feel it.”
Over the winter and spring, Smith and his family had the chance to experience some of the other sports around campus, including hockey and basketball. That provided a quick introduction to what Big Ten sports mean to the local community.
“The passion the place has for Michigan State, that's been really, really fun (to experience),” he said.
On the football side of things, Smith has been aided in the transition by his staff, which is a combination of familiar faces, Big Ten veterans and former Spartans.
“I feel good about the blend we were able to put together,” Smith said about the MSU coaching staff. “We had a crew of guys that came over that I'm deeply rooted with. I think it helps in transition to get started, speaking the same language, have shared experience through the years.
“But at the same time, we're in a different spot, different conference, location, and so I wanted to have some guys with some expertise of the conference. “With (co-special teams coordinator and rush ends coach) Chad Wilt and (defensive coordinator and linebackers coach) Joe Rossi having coordinated in this league and done it at a really high level, we felt good about those two additions.
“But it’s also important to have some guys that have walked the halls and lived the experience. "Having two other coaches that have been former Spartans and played here with (wide receivers) Courtney Hawkins and (cornerbacks coach) Demetrice Martin, I think it rounded out really well with just those 10 full-time coaches.”
An Update on the Roster
Coach Smith did not just bring part of his coaching staff with him from Corvallis. He also brought several key transfer players from the Beavers who are expected to make an immediate impact this fall, due to both their talent and their familiarity with the scheme. The most notable of these new faces is sophomore quarterback Aidan Chiles.
“Aidan, I think athletically, he's gifted at throwing the ball, he can move his feet, but he has a deep passion for this game,” Smith said about Chiles. “He likes studying it, and I think he's got some instincts to play in the game. Yes, he's still a youngster. He had some action last year, but we're looking forward to seeing him playing full-time.”
Another key transfer from Oregon State with high expectations this fall is tight end Jack Velling. Along with running back Nate Carter and defensive back Dillon Tatum, Velling traveled to Indianapolis with Smith to attend Big Ten Media Days.
Coach Smith credited Velling with helping the team to make the transition to the new staff.
“(He) just got over in January to Michigan State and has dove into our locker room,” Smith said about Velling. “We feel like his skill set and his abilities, he has a chance to be one of the best tight ends in the country.”
Tanner Miller, a sixth-year senior center, is the other Oregon State transfer for Michigan State ahead of the 2024 season. He too can make an instant impact.
Even though Smith is still just getting to know his new roster, he is excited about what he has seen so far.
“I think we've got some talent, but we also have some guys that have a ‘care factor’ for this game,” Smith explained. “It’s not just about playing because there's so much work that goes into it and the work needs to be done together. This is the ultimate team game. We’re trying to fill the locker room with guys that understand and want to be a part of something bigger than themselves. I think we've got a lot of those guys.”
Words of Wisdom and Lessons for Success
When Coach Smith was asked about his personal mantra or coaching philosophy, he repeated a phrase that he introduced to Spartan Nation when he was began his tenure as MSU's new head coach.
“Low ego, high output,” he said.
But this time Smith elaborated more on what this catchphrase means to him.
“It’s how we approach the game, how we play it, how we prepare for it, and even how we function as a staff,” he explained. “It’s not keeping it just about yourself.”
In addition to his personal philosophy, Coach Smith was also asked about the lessons that he has learned from some of his former mentors, including former Oregon State coaches Mike Riley and Dennis Erickson, as well as former Washington coach Chris Petersen. These lessons seem to have shaped Smith’s current approach to the coaching profession.
“I think about Mike Riley being authentic,” Smith said. “He never really changed his personality (even after many years of being a head coach)."
Smith said that he also learned “a ton” about strategy from Riley, who in his career worked as both an offensive and a defensive coordinator at different times.
“Dennis Erickson was the ultimate competitor,” Smith said. “This guy was competitive. (There was) no slow-down and no back-down out of that guy.”
Smith also mentioned that Erickson was an elite evaluator of talent, and that as a young coach, Smith had several long conversations with Erickson on how he was able to recognize talent so quickly. This is a skill that also helped Smith quickly build Oregon State into a Pac-12 contender.
From Coach Petersen, Smith learned about “organization, vision, setting a direction and creating alignment within a program.” Smith mentioned that Peterson also taught him about creativity, especially on offense, and on the need to “never stay the same” and to constantly improve.
As for the process in his new role at Michigan State, Coach Smith recognizes that the Spartans are currently in a phase of rebuilding. But Smith made it clear that he is a competitor with limited patience who wants to build the program in the right way.
“We went to work starting in December, laying a foundation through spring practice that we felt really good about,” he said. “We've had some new additions and new faces that we're putting this together this summer … There's a huge amount of work moving forward that I'm really looking forward to doing. I want to be a place, Michigan State, of substance. I've been around the building before, and I'm looking forward to building something special here.”
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Join the discussion on this article in our premium forums by clicking here.
You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Threads, TikTok, and Instagram.
For video content, including our Red Cedar Radar podcast, find us on YouTube and consider subscribing.
