Michigan State football: Hire of Jonathan Smith considered "elite" by 247Sports

We are about a month and a half removed from Michigan State football making the hire of Jonathan Smith official and with each passing day, it feels like the move was well worth it.

The Spartans needed to make a splash hire to follow up the Mel Tucker era which was all style and no substance (outside of the 2021 season). And they did just that, poaching Smith away from his alma mater at Oregon State and all he's done since being hired has been making solid moves.

Whether it's been going into the portal to land some high-impact players or vaulting the 2024 recruiting class from the 90-range where it was when he took over all the up way up to No. 38, Smith has been working his tail off to get the roster in a good place. And that's not even mentioning the countless impressive hires he's made from Joe Rossi to Brian Wozniak to Jim Michalczik. This team is looking really solid from the staff to the players.

All of this has shown the rest of the country that Smith has been one of the better coaching hires this offseason and 247Sports agrees,

In fact, Brad Crawford of 247Sports wrote a column on Wednesday, putting all of the coaching hires in different tiers. They are as follows:

Tier 4: Too many unknowns
Tier 3: Maybe good moves, maybe not
Tier 2: Above-average hires
Tier 1: Elite additions

Can you guess where Crawford listed Smith? That's right, he's in the elite additions section. He's one of just five coaches in that section and Crawford had some high praise for him as well as the Spartans' move by bringing him in.

"He fits what Michigan State was looking for and most importantly, has a proven ability in the talent development department."

Honestly, I could not agree more. Smith has exactly what Michigan State needs and he's going to "turn the tides" -- as Crawford later states -- in East Lansing.