Could a reunion with Smith be just what OSU needs to reboot the program?
The Oregon State football coaching search is ongoing, and several names have been floated as potential candidates for the job. The process could change rapidly as the coaching carousel continues to spin across college football.
As the search rolled along, The Oregonian/OregonLive examined 12 of the potential candidates for OSU’s next head coach.
We finish our series (for now) with a familiar face for Oregon State fans who brings up complicated feelings.
Jonathan Smith
Current job: HC, Michigan State
Age: 46
Head coaching record: 42-49
Why it works
Smith, the former Oregon State quarterback, had proven success as head coach in Corvallis. He took the Beavers from 2-10 his first year at the helm to 10-3 in 2022 with a blowout win over Florida in the Las Vegas Bowl. He elevated the program in ways that have since been undone by his sudden departure, the acceleration of an out-of-control NIL marketplace, and the collapse of the Pac-12.
Could a reunion with Smith — who is seemingly on the hot seat in East Lansing — reboot the Beavers and get them back on the right track? Smith would have to depart Michigan State after two seasons, leaving behind a program in a much worse spot than he might have expected going in. It would also take a considerable buyout.
Smith did more with less at OSU. His final two recruiting classes ranked 109th and 69th, according to 247Sports. The culture he built and the staff he had around him — including Trent Bray, who succeeded as a defensive coordinator before being thrust into the head coaching role — felt like something OSU could keep building on for decades to come.
Then he left.
Why it might not work
Smith would have a lot of work to do repairing trust with the OSU fanbase, and likely his relationship with the athletic department. He left his alma mater in a lurch, only to chase an opportunity that has since failed spectacularly. After sanctions handed down by the NCAA for issues predating his time at MSU, he technically doesn’t have a Big Ten win yet.
There is also a chance things don’t work out the same way the second time around. Can Smith build a staff like the one he had last time in Corvallis? Build a roster like the 2022 team again in spite of new challenges in both NIL and the transfer portal? There is a chance he has more resources to work with as OSU now as it enters the new Pac-12, but is the overall institution set up for him to succeed like before?
Is he interested in Oregon State?
We don’t know for sure, but it can’t be fun going through what Smith is going through right now at Michigan State. It would be surprising if the idea of a reunion didn’t cross his mind when Trent Bray got fired.
Various reports have indicated there might be some back-channeling going on to explore the idea of a buyout at MSU and subsequent return to OSU. But nothing solid enough to indicate a move like that is imminent — especially with the other exciting, highly qualified candidates OSU is interviewing as of this week.
And it’s a two-way street: Smith has to think a return is worth it and contains the possibility of success, and OSU has to be willing to forgo its other options in the name of a retread. Right now, it feels like a long shot.
Know the other (possible) candidates:
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