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. 

From Smith’s Michigan State bio: 

Jonathan Smith, who led Oregon State to new heights during his six-year tenure from 2018-23, was named Michigan State University’s 26th head football coach on Nov. 25, 2023.

Smith enters his second season leading the Spartans in 2025 after laying a strong foundation for the program during his first year in 2024.

Known for developing talent, the 46-year-old Smith has coached 10 All-Americans, 22 NFL Draft picks and more than 100 all-conference selections in his career, while also coaching in 10 bowl games, including the 2016 College Football Playoff as an offensive coordinator at Washington.

Named the 2022 Pac-12 Co-Coach of the Year, Smith built Oregon State into one of the top teams in the conference. He led the Beavers, who were ranked as high as 11th in the College Football Playoff rankings during the 2023 season, to an 8-4 record in the regular season and their third straight bowl appearance, a first for the program since 2006-09. OSU went 25-13 in Smith’s final three seasons (2021-23), including a No. 17 ranking in 2022 and a win over Florida in the Las Vegas Bowl.

Smith coached eight All-Americans during his OSU tenure (2018-23), including five his last two seasons (OL Taliese Fuaga, OL Tanner Miller and DB Kitan Oladapo in 2023; WR/PR Anthony Gould and LB Jack Colletto in 2022). In addition, Colletto was named the 2022 Paul Hornung Award winner for the nation’s most versatile player, marking Oregon State’s fourth major award winner in school history. Smith also coached two Pac-12 Freshman Offensive Players of the Year in Jermar Jefferson (2018) and Damien Martinez (2022) and four Freshman All-Americans overall. OSU tallied 74 All-Pac-12 selections during Smith’s six seasons in Corvallis.

Eleven Beavers were drafted under Smith’s tutelage, and an additional 20 signed as undrafted free agents. Offensive tackle Taliese Fuaga became the  highest-drafted OSU player in 10 years as he was picked in the first round (No. 14 overall) of the 2024 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints.

Smith helped create one of the toughest home atmospheres in all of college football, as Oregon State compiled a 16-2 record at Reser Stadium over his last three years (2021-23). Off the field, Smith led a culture of success in the classroom with a total of 168 Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll selections in his six seasons.