OFFICIAL: Michigan State Hires Its Next Football Coach

Michigan State officially names Jonathan Smith as the 26th head football coach in program history...

Author:
Matthew Lounsberry
Publish date:
Nov 25, 2023 1:37 PM EST

In this story:

It's official.

Michigan State and athletic director Alan Haller have hired Oregon State's Jonathan Smith as the 26th head football coach of the Spartans. The university announced the hire on Saturday afternoon, just one day after MSU concluded its 2023 season with a 42-0 loss to No. 11 Penn State.

Smith will succeed Mel Tucker, who was suspended and later fired in September in the midst of sexual harassment allegations. In three-plus seasons leading the Spartans, Tucker compiled a 20-14 record as Michigan State's head coach. Secondary coach Harlon Barnett was named the interim head coach for the final 10 games of the 2023 season, leading the Spartans to a 2-8 finish.

The Detroit Free Press' Chris Solari has reported that Michigan State has dismissed its entire coaching staff, meaning Smith will bring in a whole new crew to coach the Spartans.

The head coach at Oregon State since 2018, Smith has led the Beavers to a 34-35 overall record in six seasons. Oregon State has recorded three consecutive winning seasons over the last three years however, a feat the program had not accomplished previously since 2007-09. A 10-3 record in 2022 landed Oregon State at No. 17 in last year's final Associated Press poll, and earned Smith the Pac-12's 'Coach of the Year' award. The Beavers went 8-4 through this year's regular season, and were ranked No. 16 by the College Football Playoff committee prior to this weekend's games.

While Smith has orchestrated a fine turnaround at his alma mater, there are questions as to whether he would be a fit with the Spartans. The 44-year-old has never coached east of the Rocky Mountains during his 21-year career. With minimal ties to the Midwest, some question Smith's ability to recruit keystone areas for Michigan State in Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Illinois and other states.

Smith was a four-year starter for the Beavers at quarterback from 1998-2001, helping lead Oregon State to its best season in school history as a junior in 2000. Under then-head coach Dennis Erickson, the Beavers went 11-1, won a share of the Pac-10 Conference championship and finished at No. 5 and No. 4 of the Coaches and AP polls, respectively — the highest finish in each poll in program history.

Entering the coaching ranks in 2002, Smith spent two seasons as a graduate assistant at Oregon State before becoming the quarterbacks coach at Idaho (2004-09). Smith's next job was as the offensive coordinator at Montana (2012-13), before he joined one of the winningest head coaches in the college game — Chris Petersen — to become the QB coach Boise State (2012-13). Following Petersen to Washington to serve as his offensive coordinator in 2014, Smith spent three seasons with the Huskies before earning his first head coach job back at Oregon State (2018-present).

For more coverage of Michigan State Athletics: