3. Sign a top 25 recruiting class
We've seen Jonathan Smith have plenty of success in the transfer portal, but he needs that to translate to the high school ranks as well.
While we know that the transfer portal can make up for shortcomings of each recruiting class, it's important to sign these kids out of high school so the talent on the roster can be complemented by veteran transfers. You can't completely neglect high school recruiting or sign small classes without many stars or else you'll be living in the bottom half of the Big Ten every year.
Smith has shown that he can recruit but we need to see it consistently. I'm not saying to pull a Mel Tucker and go after every five-star and spend time and resources chasing guys that have no interest in coming to East Lansing, but aiming a little higher like the top-400 range consistently would be nice.
Is a top 25 class too much to ask for in year two? Maybe, but it would be a heck of a way to win the fanbase back and get momentum back on Smith's side.