LANSING >> Michigan State football coach Jonathan Smith traveled all the way to South Dakota and back Thursday to spend about two hours recruiting. On Friday, he gave a presentation to the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association on his first year leading the Spartans. Oh, and Saturday is his birthday.

And to think, that’s a lighter schedule for Smith this offseason. His Michigan State program brought in 16 transfers, 11 early enrollees and a few coaches in December and January, building off the foundation of his first year. As Smith enters Year 2, he likes how all that work is shaping up.

“I feel good about how December played out,” Smith said Friday. “And then obviously diving in, it’s busy time January — recruiting, getting in these high school campuses, coaching convention, finalizing portal arrivals. No surprises there.”

It’s a busy time for all college programs, but it’s an especially important time for Michigan State. Smith is a coach who focuses on longevity and development versus instant revitalization. After witnessing the strengths and weaknesses of his program in Year 1 (5-7, 3-6 Big Ten), this year represents his first priorities to getting it all right.

Browse through the Spartans’ transfer additions this offseason and it’s pretty clear where Smith’s staff focused its efforts. Of 16 portal pickups, four are offensive linemen, four are wide receivers and three are defensive backs. And these weren’t just one-season stopgaps. Seven of the transfers have more than a year of NCAA eligibility left.

The offensive line adds might be the most clearly impactful, with one of the highest rated linemen in the Football Championship Subdivision in tackle Conner Moore (Montana State) choosing the Spartans last week. Luka Vincic (Oregon State), Matt Gulbin (Wake Forest) and Caleb Carter (Western Carolina) round out the other pickups. Smith not only likes the level of talent, but he also likes the positional versatility of the group.

“We need to create more competition in that room,” Smith said. “We feel really good about what we landed there.”

Don’t doubt what more wide receiver depth can do, too. Michigan State is adding six receivers between freshmen and transfers. Not only do they bring depth, but they also help out the existing contributors, including Nick Marsh, who set a freshman receiving record last season.

“In general, we gotta find ways to get better,” Smith said. “We gotta complement Nick Marsh, because he’s (going to) see double-team after double-team. … We have six new guys this week that we feel good about and we’ll see what they look like in spring ball.”

Smith also tinkered with his staff. The departure of the cornerbacks coach Demetrice Martin for UCLA created one clear coaching need. But for the first time since the NCAA removed coaching staff limitations in 2024, the Spartans will operate with 11 assistant coaches.

Michigan State hired 16-year defensive backs coach James Adams to work with safeties, while Smith brought in a familiar coworker in Jon Boyer, a multitool of a coach from Oregon State with plenty of familiarity with Smith.

Adams worked most recently as an associate head coach at Wake Forest, but his career path shows a track record of program building. He worked with Charlotte for eight seasons as it navigated the jump from FCS to the Football Bowl Subdivision.

“You look at his career path of advancement, associate head coach, really well respected on the field, but also the type of guy he is,” Smith said of Adams. “We put a lot of calls and thought into an interview. I think he’s a great, great fit and really complements Blue (Adams, secondary coach). Those two guys running things in the back end, I feel awesome about it.”

Boyer isn’t just a familiar resource for Smith as a coach, with the two having worked together in five of Smith’s six years with Oregon State. Smith said that Boyer has a “strong relationship” with quarterback Aidan Chiles, who will enter his second year as the Spartans’ starter. The hire takes some quarterback duties off the plate of offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren, though he and Boyer will work in tandem to develop one of the most important positions on the field.

Michigan State also promoted some coaches internally, like moving analyst Aaron Pflugrad to passing game coordinator, which Smith is excited about. Five other analysts, graduate assistants and assistant position coaches took on new roles internally.

Smith hopes his coaching staff hires are finished, though the NFL hiring cycle may shuffle the landscape a bit more. The spring transfer window might change up the roster. But generally, after such a busy offseason, Michigan State’s personnel changes are complete.

“I feel really good where we’re at right now,” Smith said.