Update: The move has been announced.
“The 2025 football season has not lived up to our shared standards for Michigan State Football. While that does not fall solely on Jonathan Smith, it’s become necessary to make a coaching change in order to chart a new direction for the program,” said AD J Batt. “We are appreciative of Coach Smith and the manner in which he represented Michigan State with class. Throughout a difficult season, the team continued to compete. While their efforts ultimately didn’t result in enough on-field success, they do speak highly for their character.”
“This was not an easy decision to make,” added MSU President Kevin M. Guskiewicz. “I want to thank Coach Jonathan Smith for his service to Michigan State University and for his commitment to our student-athletes. He is a man of very high integrity and I wish him success in his future endeavors. We will continue to support our players and staff during this transition and future of Spartan Football.”
Michigan State is expected to fire head coach Jonathan Smith on Sunday, ESPN’s Pete Thamel has reported.
The Spartans concluded a 4-8 season with a 38-28 win over Maryland at largely-empty Ford Field in Detroit on Saturday night. The victory prevented Michigan State from enduring its first winless Big Ten season since 1958. Overall, Smith is 9-15 in two seasons in East Lansing. He’s owed a $33 million buyout, an amount that will be offset by his next job.
A California native, Smith had no prior Big Ten experience prior to taking the job. He went 34-35 in six seasons at Oregon State, his alma mater, and took the job after going 18-7 in his final two seasons — and with the dissolution of the Pac-12 imminent.
After hiring a Big Ten outsider, sources expect Big Ten and Midwest experience to be high on the priority list to find the next Head Spartan. Former Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald, former Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly, and current San Diego State head coach Sean Lewis (a former Wisconsin tight end and Kent State head coach) are expected to factor into the search.
In its firing announcement, Michigan State said the athletics department and university administration are “fully aligned to take the necessary steps to position our program to compete at the highest level. We are committed to providing an increased level of donor investment, department resources and enhanced infrastructure to effectively and efficiently deploy those resources.”