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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.
Michigan State coach Jonathan Smith talks the media on the first national signing day for college football recruits Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing.
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…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/jonathan-smith-markets-himself-build-111244591.html
Author : Detroit Free Press
Publish date : 2023-12-21 11:12:44
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