On Saturday afternoon, the Michigan State football program hired Jonathan Smith as its 26th head coach.

Spartans Illustrated has spoken with several of Michigan State's class of 2024 commits to get their immediate reactions about Smith's hire.

Justin Denson Jr., an All-American Bowl selection, took some time to gather his thoughts about the Smith hire, and is feeling good about the direction of the program.

Smith is expected to retain Harlon Barnett, who most recently served as Michigan State's interim head coach, in some capacity on the staff. With Barnett — who was one of Denson's primary recruiters — sticking around, and the new staff's vision, Denson feels comfortable with his commitment to the Spartans.

In fact, the new staff has already been in contact with the Wyoming Seminary (Pennsylvania) standout defensive back. The Oregon State staff had previously recruited Denson, so there is a familiarity there as well.

"I (feel) good," Denson said about the coaching change. "The new staff that's coming in already reached out, saying they want me to stay and they need me and all that. I talked to Coach Barnett. He's positive (about the new staff)."

Denson, who decided to remain committed to MSU even after Mel Tucker's firing, also hopes that Smith will retain cornerbacks coach Jim Salgado, but he has not received word on that as of yet.

"I know before the signing of (Smith), Michigan State had a big plan for me to come in and seize everything that's there for me and be a big player for them," Denson said. "They've always believed in me, even before I got All-American honors, they all knew I could be great, they want me great, so I just can't wait to come in and do that for them (under the new regime)."

Denson is visiting Florida this weekend, but is still locked in with Michigan State as of now.

"I'm still pretty comfortable with my role at Michigan State and what they have planned for me," Denson said.

Denson plans to sign with Michigan State during the early period on Dec. 20, and also plans to enroll at the school in January.

Mercer Luniewski and Charlton Luniewski committed to Michigan State in June and have never backed off their pledges despite the coaching change.

At the time, Mercer had the following to say about why the twins committed to Michigan State:

"We've always been drawn to Michigan State before this football thing — we've seen highlights in the past and always thought it was a cool school — but especially when we got to make that trip up there (the first time in April), the energy just felt great. It was a beautiful campus. Obviously it doesn't get much better than Big Ten offensive line play."

All of those thoughts remain consistent with the Luniewskis in late November. Additionally, the talented and athletic offensive linemen from Cincinnati are quite optimistic about Smith's hire, they told Spartans Illustrated.

"Nothing but excited," Mercer said. "Coach Smith has done incredible things leading the Oregon State program and his accomplishments as a coach are just as impressive! My twin and I are eager to work!"

The twins have only been playing organized football for a couple of years, but have been athletes their whole lives, and their potential is considered to be sky-high. They can certainly be building blocks in the trenches for Smith and his staff.

One of two four-star prospects committed to Michigan State (along with wide receiver Nick Marsh), Jaylen Thompson is an incredibly important prospect for the current staff to retain.

The 6-foot-1, 174-pound cornerback out Tennessee has been locked in with Michigan State since his commitment in December of 2022 and never wavered. However, other schools remain interested, and he will take an official visit to Virginia Tech on Dec. 8.

With that said, Thompson is still solidly committed with Michigan State, and plans to sign in December and be an early enrollee.

Additionally, Thompson likes Michigan State's hiring of Smith. The new staff has already been in contact with him as well.

"I’m pretty excited," Thompson said about Smith. "I was able to see what he was able to do with their program (at Oregon State) and am excited to see him bring that to MSU."

Similar to Denson, Thompson is also ecstatic that Barnett is staying on staff. For Thompson, it isn't just him, but his entire family who have built an incredibly strong bond with Barnett and the school.

"He’s staying, that's what he told me and my family," Thompson said about Barnett. "I'm so excited for Coach (Barnett) to be back!"

Keshawn Williams, Michigan State's newest commit, who pledged to the Spartans in October, also is close with Barnett and is excited about Smith.

For Williams, it was a little bit different than the other recruits in the class because he didn't commit until after Tucker was fired. While he knew there would be uncertainty with the coaching staff, he told Spartans Illustrated he was "all in" on MSU, and Barnett was a big reason why. Barnett sticking around certainly helps things with Williams' commitment.

Williams is looking forward to getting to know Smith and the new staff, and thinks he is perfect for Michigan State.

"I’m feeling good," Williams said about the Smith hire. "I heard he’s a good man and coach. I can’t wait to get to meet him. (He's a) good fit."

Williams and Thompson are high school teammates at Riverdale in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and look forward to playing together at the college level as well.

Jadyn Walker, an in-state linebacker product out of Portage Northern High School, committed to Michigan State one day before Mel Tucker was suspended from the program. However, for him, MSU has always been his dream school, so his commitment was never really in question.

Walker is excited about what Smith will bring to Michigan State. It is unclear at this point if Smith plans to bring over defensive coordinator Trent Bray from Oregon State, but it is quite likely. Walker likes the defensive scheme the Beavers ran, and he thinks his skill set will fit right in.

"I'm feeling amazing about the new hire (Smith), and with the way they run their defense, I think that I will fit in perfectly," Walker said.

Portage Northern head coach Kurt Twichell raved about Walker's game, and believes he is a player who has flown under the radar a bit, but will be an asset at Michigan State,

"He is a kid that can play physical against the run, cover (running) backs and tight ends in space and also rush the passer," Twichell told Spartans Illustrated about Walker in October. "His background and athleticism as a wide receiver and defensive back makes him a really exciting prospect at linebacker, and he's shown as a senior that he's a special player and a diamond in the rough for the next staff at Michigan State."

Another very important in-state commit is four-star wide receiver Nick Marsh

The River Rouge star originally committed to Michigan State in July of 2022, before decommitting in March of 2023, and recommitting this past July.

"(Michigan State) is home," Marsh told Spartans Illustrated after his recommitment.

While Marsh has taken some visits to other schools, he has remained committed to MSU ever since, even after the Tucker situation.

Marsh and his mother, Yolanda Wilson — who is lovingly known to Michigan State fans as "Mama Tron" — both said that a fresh start could be just want the program needs. They are both intrigued with what Smith can bring to the table.

"Great hire, new blood, new eyes," Marsh said with excitement. "Happy for the program and especially the team, they deserve some uplifting news. Excited to see how it plays out!"

Wilson echoed Marsh's sentiments.

"I think it's a great start to a new era," Wilson said about Smith. "The boys and the program truly deserve it. It's been a dogfight of a year and everyone was waiting for glimmer of light. I'm excited to see what's next."

Marsh, and his entire family, want to stay at Michigan State. Their final decision, at least to some degree, will be influenced by whether or not Smith retains wide receivers coach Courtney Hawkins, however.

Marsh and Hawkins have a very strong relationship. The hope is that the new staff will see how "big of a piece to the puzzle" Hawkins is, not only for Marsh, but for the program.

This article may be updated with more reactions.

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