Michigan State has decided to wash its hands of coach Jonathan Smith after just two seasons leading the Spartans’ football program.
According to a report from ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Michigan State plans to fire Smith on Sunday, just one day after the Spartans earned their first Big Ten win of the season with a 38-28 victory over Maryland. He signed a seven-year contract to become Michigan State’s coach before the 2024 season after the Mel Tucker era came to a messy close. Per Thamel, Smith will be owed $33 million with the departure.
The Spartans finished their season at 4-8. They snapped an eight-game losing streak Saturday after wins to open the regular season over Western Michigan, Boston College and Youngstown State. Smith’s team nearly dropped their entire conference slate with the eight losses in a row once their Big Ten schedule began, including close calls with winnable games against Minnesota and Iowa.
Smith ends his brief tenure as Michigan State coach with a 9-15 record, missing a bowl game in both years. He spent six seasons as Oregon State’s head coach before he jumped for the Spartans job. He has a 43-50 combined record from his time at Oregon State and Michigan State.
Now, Michigan State officially enters its coaching search, with former Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald named as a “person of interest” by Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Michigan State to Part Ways With Jonathan Smith After Two Seasons.
