2. There’s plenty of talent in the tri-state area
Mel Tucker did a good job reaching out to states where Michigan State doesn’t usually recruit. He got plenty of talent in Georgia, Florida, Texas, and the West Coast.
But in his outreach, he didn’t look at places like Ohio or even his own backyard in Detroit.
One of the main reasons we were able to beat Ohio State regularly was because we would recruit the guys that OSU didn’t want, and Mark Dantonio turned that into a rallying cry for his underdog Spartans. Outsiders see Michigan State as a tough place to recruit because of Ohio State, Michigan, and even Notre Dame as neighbors, but Jonathan Smith has plenty of experience with having success despite being surrounded by high level programs.
Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania have plenty of football talent, and the right recruits are there if Smith is willing to work for it, and by all accounts, he’s there.