The first thing on the list for Jonathan Smith upon arriving to East Lansing will be meeting with the current roster, and recruiting the current roster to stick around and not hit the transfer portal.
No one is denying that the Spartans have a plethora of young talent on the roster, with the past two recruiting classes being very good, and it will be imperative that Smith can keep that talent in East Lansing for his staff to develop.
Let’s take a look at ten players Michigan State and Coach Smith need to retain on the roster:
LB Jordan Hall
True freshman LB Jordan Hall was a huge bright spot for MSU’s defense in 2023. The leadership and level of play Hall possesses would be a major plus for MSU to keep around.
DE Jalen Thompson
Another true freshman bright spot, Jalen Thompson took added responsibility at the midway point in 2023 and showed that he was a playmaker that has a bright future.
CB Chance Rucker
Yet another true freshman that was forced into a huge playing role in 2023, while succeeding in his role, cornerback Chance Rucker showed that he was an impact player with a whole lot of potential on the outside for MSU.
S Jaden Mangham
Jaden Mangham was in the true freshman boat a year ago, someone thrusted into a role as a young player who showed promise. Mangham continued that trajectory in 2023 and seems like a plus player to keep around for his upperclassmen years.
TE Maliq Carr
Maliq Carr’s MSU career has certainly been a rollercoaster, but one thing is for certain, Carr is a matchup nightmare that is a huge weapon on offense. Carr is a weapon that would excel in a Jonathan Smith/Brian Lindgren offense.
DB Dillon Tatum
Dillon Tatum was a huge recruiting win for MSU in 2022 and has been a decent player on the field the past two seasons. Tatum is a guy who has played safety and cornerback at MSU and would be a great piece for MSU’s new defensive staff to find a permanent home and let him excel.
TE Brennan Parachek
Look, another true freshman that played this year and showed the potential he has. Parachek is someone who can continue to build behind Carr with a staff who most recently developed Luke Musgrave, a 2nd round selection by the Green Bay Packers.
DT Derrick Harmon
MSU will need to stay strong in the trenches. Senior DL Maverick Hansen has already announced his intentions on staying with MSU to help build the new regime, but Derrick Harmon has been a good DT for MSU and would be a huge help in having a plus unit next season.
S Malik Spencer
The overriding trend here is Michigan State has had a ton of young defensive players that have shown flashes of having a lot of potential. With a new defensive staff coming in, it is imperative that they have good, young talent to build with and that includes safety Malik Spencer.
QB Katin Houser OR Sam Leavitt
There’s a lot of buzz that Smith will be bringing highly touted freshman QB Aidan Chiles from Oregon State with him. Until that happens, and is official, we have to operate as if its not happening. If it doesn’t happen, it is crucial that Smith keeps one of MSU’s young and promising QBs around to build under MSU’s new offensive coaching regime.
Bonus: Young WRs
Michigan State has a lot of young wide receivers that they have acquired the last couple of classes. While they all have shown signs of potential, it would be too hard to say one is ahead of any other, so as a whole, it would be nice for MSU to retain the whole unit – but keeping two or three of the young receivers around is something I would like to see Smith and his staff do.
