Jonathan Smith working hard to keep Nick Marsh in the fold

Recently hired Michigan State head coach Jonathan Smith has a long to-do list in front of him after arriving in East Lansing on Sunday, Nov. 26. Smith met with the current Spartan roster on Nov. 27, also working quickly to hire assistants to his staff and retain the current roster.

Smith is also making sure to get a jump start on the recruiting trail, with one of his first call being to four-star wide receiver and the highest ranked commitment in Michigan State 2024 recruiting class, Nick Marsh, of Detroit (Mich.) River Rouge.

The 6-foot-3, 200-pound receiver is ranked the No. 115 overall recruit in the 2024 On3 Industry Rankings. He is also ranked the No. 21 wide receiver and the No. 3 recruit in Michigan. Marsh has been committed to the Spartans since July of 2023, despite all the uncertainty on the coaching staff.

Marsh has taken additional visits to Colorado and Georgia Tech so far this fall, with many other programs showing interest. He was scheduled to take an official visit to Colorado this upcoming weekend, a trip he is no longer taking. He tells SpartanMag.com he is not looking to schedule anymore visits.

“I talked to Coach Smith tonight,” Marsh told SpartanMag.com on Monday. “It was pretty good. I mean, it was the first contact. I am feeling pretty good about this, though. I am looking forward to seeing how it goes.”

“I think he’s gonna come up to my school sometime Friday and get personal. We are going to have a one on one, face to face. We are also trying to set up another official visit before signing day.”

Marsh has told SpartanMag.com in the past that a big factor in his recruitment depends on the future of previous Michigan State wide receivers coach Courtney Hawkins. The status of Hawkins being on the next Spartan staff is still undecided. However, sources tell SpartanMag.com that Hawkins will likely be retained by Smith.

“He said he wanted to see what Coach Hawk is about,” Marsh said. “He has some offensive assistants that he’s bringing with him. I am just looking forward to seeing what they bring to the table.”

The four-star wide receiver is hoping to be viewed as a priority by the new staff, as Smith is off to a strong start with the in-home visit scheduled, and official visit in the works.

“That I’m a priority and they see me being a playmaker and doing whatever I can to help the team,” Marsh said.

SpartanMag.com also caught up with Marsh’s mother, Yolanda Wilson, who was excited about the hire.

“I am here for the hire,” Wilson, also known as ‘MamaTron’ said. “I think he has what it takes to shape things up and get the boys on the right track. Making football, football again.”

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