Oregon State Coach Jonathan Smith Is Michigan State’s Top Candidate

Smith has orchestrated three straight winning seasons for the Beavers, who are facing an uncertain future with the collapse of the Pac-12.

Oregon State football coach Jonathan Smith has emerged as the leading candidate for the vacant position at Michigan State, sources tell Sports Illustrated.

Smith’s Beavers finished the regular season with an 8–4 record after 31–7 loss to rival Oregon on Friday night. The Spartans (4–8) also played Friday night, losing 42–0 to Penn State in Detroit. With both regular seasons concluded, the Michigan State search is expected to move quickly from this point and could be concluded this weekend.

Michigan State has been working through a list of candidates since the school fired Mel Tucker in September over a sexual misconduct scandal and have zeroed in on Smith, sources said. Smith resurrected the program at his alma mater, where he’s been the head coach since 2018.

A former assistant at Boise State and Washington under Chris Petersen, Smith’s record in Corvallis is 34–35, but he’s authored three straight winning seasons. That hadn’t been done at Oregon State since 2007-09.

Smith, 44, was the Pac-12’s coach of the year last season and played quarterback for Oregon State during the program’s 11–1 campaign in 2001 that ended with a Fiesta Bowl win :: Brian Hayes/USA TODAY Network

The Oregon State job only becomes more difficult with the demise of the Pac-12. The Beavers and Washington State are the only remaining members, with 10 other schools leaving for three different conferences in 2024.

Oregon State athletic director Scott Barnes acknowledged earlier this week that he’s working to keep Smith.

"Coach Smith and I have had ongoing conversations for more than a month regarding his future at Oregon State and our path forward for football specifically and our athletic department generally,” Barnes said in a statement. “He has embraced our short and long term plans. My No. 1 priority is providing him with a new contract and guaranteed compensation that will help continue the success of the football program that has benefited Oregon State University and Beavers athletics. Coach Smith and I have also discussed our commitment to extending assistant coaches' contracts and increasing the salary pool for his staff to retain the continuity of what they have all built together for Beaver Nation."