Tag: Jonathan Smith Michigan State

Michigan State hires new head coach

A Big Ten team has hired their new head coach.

A Big Ten team has hired their new head coach. Michigan State hired Oregon State football coach Jonathan Smith on Saturday night. Smith just completed his sixth regular season in Corvallis and compiled an overall record of 34-35.

In a statement to the public, Smith said that he can’t wait to get to work in East Lansing.

“My family and I are excited to join the Michigan State football family. I’m thankful to Alan Haller and the university leadership for entrusting me to lead a Spartan football program which possesses both an excellent tradition and all the resources needed to compete at the highest level in college football today. There are no shortcuts, and we will be a program that’s willing to do the work required to experience sustained success.”

Smith is taking over for Mel Tucker, who was fired after three seasons with the program. Tucker ended his tenure with a record of 18-14.

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Oregon State’s Jonathan Smith hired by Michigan State — crushing blow for Beavers and a dying Pac-12

#B1G news, and another gut punch for Oregon State.

What a gut punch for Oregon State University. As though the death of the Pac-12 Conference wasn’t enough, the Beavers have now lost their head coach, a development likely connected to the Pac-12’s demise. Worse than that, however, is the fact that Oregon State lost its coach to the Big Ten. Oregon State isn’t going to the Big Ten, but Jonathan Smith is. Smith was announced as Michigan State’s new head coach late Saturday morning.

As an interesting plot twist, Michigan State made the announcement during the big football game played by two of its main rivals, Michigan and Ohio State.

Spartans Wire has more on the story:

“Smith, the 2022 Pac-12 Coach of the Year, quickly helped turnaround the Oregon State program and will now be tasked with doing the same in East Lansing.

“The news was reported by Nick Daschel of The Oregonian along with 247Sports and then confirmed by the Michigan State football Twitter/X account.”

You can imagine how people across the country reacted to this huge story.

Let’s get a sampling of that reaction:

Oregon State’s Jonathan Smith emerges as top head coaching choice for Michigan State

This would be a huge move for the Spartans heading into 2024.

Spartans Wire has picked up on reporting from Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic which indicates that Oregon State head football coach Jonathan Smith is the top target for Michigan State’s open head coaching job.

Here’s more from the story at Spartans Wire:

“According to Auerbach, who shared the report on national television before the Spartans’ match-up against Penn State, the Spartans have identified Oregon State head coach Jonathan Smith as their leading candidate for the job.”

If Michigan State does get Smith, it would be viewed as a very strong hire by the Spartans, who would get a coach known for cultivating physical and tough line play, a necessity in the Big Ten. Smith would therefore go up against Lincoln Riley and USC, not to mention Oregon, Washington, and UCLA, the other Pac-12 schools moving to the Big Ten next year.

Reactions are pouring in as a response to the possibility that Michigan State could land Oregon State’s head coach: