It has been no secret that Michigan State has been interested in potentially hiring Oregon State head coach Jonathan Smith in recent weeks.
Friday night saw Oregon State’s regular season come to an end as the Beavers were blown out by in-state rival Oregon in what will be the final meeting between teams for the forseeable future. Not even 24 hours later the Beavers have now lost their head coach.
Michigan State made the news official on Saturday.
A new era of Spartan Football is here!
Please welcome Jonathan Smith as the 26th Head Coach in program history.
📰 | https://t.co/cianmGIS3E#GoGreen pic.twitter.com/3lGTurivLF
— Michigan State Football (@MSU_Football) November 25, 2023
The news comes right in the middle of the second quarter of No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 3 Michigan in perhaps the most anticipated regular season game of the entire season.
Notre Dame is scheduled to play their former annual rival Michigan State again in both 2026 and 2027 – games that seemingly certainly will be coached by Smith.
Smith, a former Oregon State quarterback, led the Beavers to an 8-4 record in 2023.
Related – Future Notre Dame football schedules and opponents
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