Jonathan Smith markets himself to build Michigan State football's signing class

EAST LANSING — Jonathan Smith showed up to his first signing day news conference sporting a green hoodie.

The casual attire seemed to fit a man who has an unassuming persona, an indistinct face and a common name. In a sport populated with attention seekers and loud characters, the new Michigan State football coach doesn’t seem to covet the spotlight like many of his peers or even his predecessor who routinely posed for selfies shared on the team’s social media account. No, Smith doesn’t come across as someone interested in marketing himself.

But in many ways, that is what he needed to do as he recruited players to come join him and the Spartans after he touched down in East Lansing 25 days ago.

“You’ve got to sell yourself,” he said.

After all, there wasn’t much else to pitch.

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The program he inherited was in a state of flux with a roster that had been gutted following a 4-8 season marked by the sudden and unexpected firing of Mel Tucker in September. Smith launched himself headfirst into the void, knowing he’d have to gradually fill the blank space by first laying a foundation and building up over time. He had a firm idea of what it would eventually look like, drafting the blueprint in his head.

But it didn’t exist yet, so Smith had to convince a bunch of high school seniors to buy into his vision.

Somehow, some way he managed to pull it off — racing against the clock to reel in 18 new players, including eight who had previously planned to play for Smith at his alma mater, Oregon State. Among the former Beaver commitments who followed him to Ingham County are blue-chip offensive tackle Rustin Young of Honolulu, three-star tight end Wyatt Hook of Cupertino, California, and defensive back Andrew Brinson IV of Tampa, Florida.

“I trust in him,” said Rakeem Johnson, a three-star lineman from Boise, Idaho. “I trust him to do what he did at at Oregon State and create another winning program. I feel he can do that in the next two years, easily.”

Johnson had invested his faith in Smith back in the summer when he gave a verbal pledge to Oregon State. Up until a month ago he was preparing to play for the Beavers and live out his college days out west. He admitted that he was initially taken aback when Smith decided to take the job at MSU in November, calling the move “pretty nerve-racking.”

He had never been to Michigan or anywhere in its vicinity, after all. Could he suddenly change course and relocate to parts unknown? He was willing to consider it because he had hit off with Smith and his primary recruiter Jim Michalczik, one of six assistants the new Spartans' head coach imported from his staff in Corvallis. So, Johnson and his family arranged a visit to MSU’s campus this past weekend.

When he got there, he saw some familiar faces. They included Payton Stewart, an offensive lineman from Kelso, Washington, and Kekai Burnett, an edge defender from Honolulu. Like him, the two MSU signees were once part of Oregon State’s recruiting class.

Reconnecting with them, Johnson said, “strengthened our relationship, knowing that we have the same plan.”

They’re eager to help Smith launch his latest renovation project at MSU. Inviting them to be on the ground floor of this remodel was part of elevator pitch Smith delivered to recruits. They would make this exciting transition together, coming in as outsiders unfamiliar with the lay of the land but determined to make it all better. It was an easier sell because of Smith’s impressive track record. He transformed OSU from a Pac-12 doormat into a rock-solid program that reached as high as No. 10 in both polls this season. The climb there was both steep and gradual, which made it all the more impressive in the eyes of his former college coach in Corvallis, Dennis Erickson.

“I was once there, and that’s hard,” Erickson told the Free Press. “What he did there was unbelievable.”

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It’s supplied Erickson with the confidence his protégé can spur another remarkable turnaround in East Lansing. It may take some time, he cautioned.

“But we’re not going to be sitting here overly patient,” Smith said. “We’re trying to build something quick and be really, really competitive this fall.”

The 18 signed letters of intent sent to MSU’s offices indicate that there are many who believe he can accomplish a goal.

“And to me,” Erickson said, “it’s all about trust.”

Inviting that faith is the mark of a good salesman. Smith may not look and sound like one. But his first recruiting haul at MSU indicated that, when push came to shove, he marketed himself quite well and gave his rebuild a major boost.

Contact Rainer Sabin at rsabin@freepress.com. Follow him @RainerSabin.

Recruit U.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: How Jonathan Smith built first Michigan State football signing class