With Michigan State officially announcing Jonathan Smith as its next head coach on Saturday, Oregon State athletic director Scott Barnes shared a written statement about his former football coach.
“Coach Smith and his staff worked tirelessly to rebuild the culture at Oregon State,” Barnes said. “All of Beaver Nation should thank him for the lasting legacy he has left.”
Smith took over the Beavers program before the 2018 season, He went 2-10 in his debut season with Oregon State and failed to make a bowl game in each of his first three seasons, but his foundation paid off the last two seasons. Since the start of the 2022 season, he is a combined 18-7 and the Beavers have reached the top 15 of the College Football Playoff rankings each of the past two seasons.
Oregon State will now search for a new head coach as it navigates the new Pac-12, which currently only has the Beavers and Washington State after most members left for other conferences.