Oregon State HC Jonathan Smith - Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports
Following the conclusion of the 2023 season, the Michigan State Spartans have found their new head coach. While other teams will continue to play, the Spartans season came to a close as they lost their loss against Penn State, 42-0. With the conclusion comes preparations for 2023. Now, there is an announcement that Michigan State is hiring Jonathan Smith as their new head coach.
Why a New Head Coach?
For those who need a refresher, back in September, the Spartans fired their head coach, Mel Tucker, due to allegations of sexual harassment. The team quickly fired him following these allegations and promoted Harlon Barnett to be the interim head coach for the remainder of the season. The Michigan State Spartans are now ending their season with a 4-8 record. As much as Barnett would have taken the full-time position, it was speculated that Michigan State would search for someone else. The outside hire is just what Michigan State is doing.
Jonathan Smith Coaching History
Jonathan Smith will now be joining the Michigan State Spartans, as confirmed by the team. He is joining from the Oregan State Beavers who currently have an 8-4 record. Although it may change, Oregan State is currently ranked in the College Football Playoff Rankings. This is good news for Michigan State, who was never a part of that this season, not even in the AP Top 25 Poll. Smith is an offensive-minded coach, which will be important for a team that did not score much this season against strong defenses.
Just a couple of days before this announcement, Oregon State made it clear Smith’s contract would be the number one priority. Clearly that did not work out for the Beavers. Smith has already made a statement regarding the move. The full statement is here, on his X account. His statement focuses on thanking Oregon State, as he even spent his time there as a player. Smith has the opportunity to build a culture and fix the issues within the Michigan State program.
One thing to note about this hiring is that the Big Ten expansion is starting next season. Oregon State is currently a part of Pac-12. Four of those teams from the conference, UCLA, Oregon, Washington, and USC, will be joining the Big Ten next season. Smith has knowledge of these teams. This will be a big help to Michigan State, who will be facing these teams for the first time as a conference opponent.
This hiring is among the first following the season. As the 2023 regular season wraps up, expect more teams to begin making their coaching changes. This has the potential to be a smart move for the Spartans, and next up will be to see what other changes the program makes.
