Jonathan Smith, MSU intro presser, Q&A
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00:00 take some questions for the media. We have three mics, one in the middle and
00:03 one on both sides, so we'll be coming around. Kara, we got Fred right here in the middle.
00:08 I didn't want to go first. Coach Fred Heumann, NBC here in Lansing.
00:23 First thing is, did you own a green tie or did you have to get one?
00:28 Yeah, I will speak the truth all the time to you. I definitely had to go get one.
00:32 And I talked about how much my family has meant to me and helped me. I needed to get a little help.
00:37 She still thinks I need a little help with this tie right now. My wife is huge at putting this on.
00:41 My bigger question is, you talked when you landed at the airport Sunday about the culture here, the history,
00:47 and what you call the brand, which you just referred to. You're only the second head coach I can think of
00:54 in the century that did not have a direct Michigan State tie here. Are you going to study the history?
00:59 Is that even important in building what you want to build here?
01:03 Yeah, definitely important. Definitely want to dive in and learn. I continue to learn each day, but more and more.
01:09 I'll say it this way too. Just thinking of the former players and understanding the history,
01:14 the big time players and championships that have gone here, that's going to be important for me to learn,
01:19 but also make sure we got engaging, welcoming back from former players. I look forward to learning that part.
01:26 Chris Solari, Detroit Free Press. Welcome, Jonathan. I'm wondering about the decision to leave your home in Monarch.
01:35 That's obviously a very personal place for you. What made this the most attractive way to get you away?
01:44 I thought a lot of what I value, which wherever I'm at, I'm going to value these things again.
01:49 The family piece, the community network, a passionate fan base, the opportunity to win,
01:54 the resources available to win, the community that has invested to win. I think all of that was here.
02:01 So that was brewing in my mind.
02:13 Hi Jonathan, Matt Lenz with NLAB. You talked about recruiting.
02:16 I was wondering how you plan on assembling your staff with being you've got a lot of West Coast guys
02:22 to try and get Midwest connections. Do you anticipate any carryover from the previous staff?
02:30 The intention is to build a staff of great men that are great teachers, that are elite people,
02:38 that will invest in the lives of the players. Yes, there's a crew that has been with me for a long time.
02:43 There's a lot of the reason I'm standing up in front of you. So yes, they'll be a part of that.
02:47 The intention also coming over, understanding that it's not an elephant in the room.
02:52 I have a lack of deep ties to the Midwest. Cannot wait to get engaged and dial into the high school players,
02:58 our high school coaches in Michigan. At the same time, a staff reflecting some background.
03:05 There's a lot of attention on this staff. There are some good coaches that were currently here.
03:10 A few of those guys I will be talking to. And so we will take some time to put this together
03:17 because you've got to get these things right, the right mix fit. But yes, some continuity of what I've been around
03:23 can speak the language from the get-go. Midwest ties will be in attention with some of the others
03:28 and then exploring some of the coaches here.
03:32 Coach, congratulations and welcome. Lindsay Huddleston, Sports Psychology Solutions, SBS.
03:36 Coverage is focused on mental toughness and mental health for athletes.
03:39 With that, can you give your perspective on mental health as it relates to athletes in this current time in college sports?
03:45 I think it's a very important topic, very important to be able to recognize, to remove the stigma sometimes
03:52 that can be around mental health. Because there's no question, we've got to play mentally and physically tough, right?
04:00 So there's a difference there when it goes into mental health.
04:02 I'm excited about learning the resources around here and removing any stigma that our current players
04:08 or future players would have in regards to mental health.
04:11 Go ahead, Stephen.
04:14 Jonathan Wright here. Stephen Brooks, 24/7 Sports.
04:19 When you took over Oregon State as a first-time head coach, I'm wondering what were sort of your initial steps
04:24 that you look back and like that you think can be repeatable here that you might want to implement?
04:29 And maybe what did you learn from that experience that you might want to change this time around,
04:32 especially with the changes in college football, NIL transfers, things like that that weren't around when you took over that job?
04:38 One thing I learned very quickly, this idea of building trust.
04:43 When you take over a program, walked into that team room and I didn't know many of them.
04:49 I hadn't been in any homes to not just know them, but their family network and those that are there.
04:56 Knowing their story, I learned that as soon as possible that is priority number one to learn this roster.
05:03 Not just what they look like on tape, but what their story is.
05:06 I think that you can coach these guys as hard as you care about these guys and then they know that.
05:12 And so I think building trust from the get-go will be vitally important on that.
05:17 I think a clear and concise message of how and why we're going to do things is really important from the get-go.
05:23 Buy-in, belief, that's just not free.
05:26 So really spelling that out with why we're going to be approaching things and why it's going to help them on and off the field,
05:32 why it's going to help us win and win big games and ultimately try to win championships.
05:36 Larry?
05:38 Larry Leach from the Associated Press.
05:40 What would be some catchphrases or mantras that your players will hear you say so much that they'll hear it in their head?
05:48 Yeah, I think from the start, low ego, high output, selfless.
05:55 I think football is the ultimate team game.
05:58 Walking in there, there's these roster sizes now getting over 120 some odd guys.
06:01 There's 11 guys on the field.
06:03 I think it's the ultimate team game.
06:06 No shot at Coach Izzo over here, but you play Hoop, man.
06:08 You put four guys over here and let LeBron play one-on-one, that can take Laysa schematically and all that.
06:13 Football's a little different.
06:16 I think it's the ultimate team game on that, being selfless and being a great teammate.
06:19 Matt?
06:21 Hey, Johnathan over here again.
06:23 Not to dive into the roster too much, obviously, but you're a quarterback and that's where your background is.
06:28 You had a couple guys yesterday declare their intent to enter the court.
06:31 I'm just wondering, you know, broad, how you plan to address that position in the court.
06:36 Yeah, I think we are going to run a style of play that the quarterback can have some real, real success.
06:44 I think being the starting quarterback at Michigan State is an unbelievable opportunity.
06:48 And that opportunity is there for who's in our locker room starting in January.
06:53 I'll say this, not just specifically about the quarterback position, but in general, this day and age in college football,
06:59 there's opportunities there in regards to, you know, weighing your options, fresh starts somewhere else.
07:05 All of the current players unsettling the last year.
07:09 And so that's not, how I would say, not totally surprising for guys to maybe want to explore an option or two.
07:15 And I get that.
07:17 And we really support those that want to be in that locker room in January.
07:21 I've got a firm belief we can hit the ground running and do something special.
07:24 Jack?
07:26 Jack Ebeling, the driver Jack and press pass.
07:29 Johnathan, not that long ago, 2010 through 2016, five times in six years, Michigan State won 11 or more games.
07:38 How comforting is that to know, instead of being in a program that hadn't had a winning season for 28 years?
07:43 And how much might you use the input from Mark D'Antonio, hi Mark, as a comfort and as a resource as you build this?
07:54 Yeah, I hope Coach D, awesome conversation yesterday, spoke with him on the phone on Saturday when it was announced.
08:01 Definitely plan on leaning on him because you're right, he did it at the highest level.
08:07 The idea of sustainability and development, me and him are in cahoots on how we want to approach this thing.
08:12 Now, this is a little bit different landscape from 2010 to 20 and how this has changed.
08:17 So you've got to be able to navigate.
08:19 But I think there are some core principles of development and recruiting that can last a lifetime and plan on doing it.
08:27 Alright, we're going to take two more. We'll go Maddie and then we'll end up with Chris here.
08:31 Maddie Kenny, Detroit News over here.
08:35 How much did the Pac-12, all the conference realignment and everything that's happening, how much did that play or have an impact in your decision to come to Michigan State, Big Ten school where there's just more overall stability?
08:47 Yeah, not a major factor. I tried to describe it to my team.
08:54 Look, instability, conference realignment, all of this stuff, there was something brewing in me of the idea of going somewhere if the fit was right.
09:04 And just being really selective on that.
09:07 And so, yeah, other opportunity here or there, wasn't interested, just the more engaged in conversation with Michigan State, I got more and more excited about it.
09:16 I do. Look, you know me, I'm a West Coast guy and all that, Pac-12, conference, the championship, I think it is kind of sad in general for that thing to blow up with the history of that place.
09:26 I go back to where I was born and raised, going to Rose Bowl and Big Tens playing the Pac-12 and all of that, but I'm genuinely excited to be a part of the Big Ten, part of this place.
09:34 And so that excitement just grew on me.
09:37 Chris, wrap this up.
09:40 Jonathan Chris Solari, Detroit Free Press.
09:42 I heard you mention that you had watched some of the games for Michigan State during the process.
09:49 What did you see that maybe with the roster and with the program that enticed you with this job?
09:58 And how do you feel, like when you were watching that, do you feel like you can move forward in what areas?
10:03 Some of the reasons we watched them, we played the University of Washington.
10:07 Michigan State played them earlier in the season. We played them Week 11, so that game was one to be diving into and we did that.
10:15 I watched not the entire, but a good amount of the game against Rutgers, actually.
10:19 Rutgers, miserable rain, I told the team this too, but the idea they had a great chance and in that game just couldn't finish it.
10:25 And I talked about the character of this team, because later, Indiana game, that game is tight.
10:31 And the season had been long at that point and they've been unsettling all of that.
10:35 The character of these guys continue to buy in and go and find a way to finish at the end.
10:40 That showed me a team that's got some character to it, watching that tape.
10:44 Alright, that's going to wrap us up today. I appreciate everyone for coming. Thank you.
10:48 [applause]