Michigan State football found itself in hot water with the NCAA this week, and even though Jonathan Smith wasn’t the coach at the time, he still got wrapped up in the latest mess.
The Spartans were docked 14 wins from the 2022-2024 seasons as part of massive NCAA punishments handed down Wednesday, Nov. 12, for violations committed under former coach Mel Tucker.
MSU was also hit with three years probation and fined for conduct under Tucker, but notably they were also punished for using ineligible players in 2024 when Tucker and all the major players in this scandal were gone and Smith was in charge.
MSU becomes the first program since Arizona State to have wins vacated by the NCAA. The Sun Devils vacated 10 wins in 2021-22 due to violations under coach Herm Edwards.
Because of the vacated wins in 2024, Smith has lost five games from his win total in 2024.
Here’s Jonathan Smith’s record at Michigan State and at Oregon State during his time in the NCAA:
Jonathan Smith record overall
Smith had five wins taken away from his official NCAA record because of the punishments handed down this week, vacating five wins in the 2024 season.
Smith started off slow at Oregon State, including a 2-10 record in his first year, but finished just below .500 with a 34-35 record after a strong final two seasons at his alma mater.
Jonathan Smith record at Michigan State
It’s a brutal break for Smith, who was not involved in any way in the NCAA recruiting investigations at Michigan State, but was still forced to vacate five wins from his first year.
Not much has gone Smith’s way during his time in East Lansing and since the Spartans are 0-6 entering Week 12 in the Big Ten in 2025, Smith is technically still searching for his first Big Ten victory, even after beating Maryland, Iowa and Purdue in 2024.
Andrew Birkle is an assistant sports editor for the Free Press. Contact him via email at abirkle@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Jonathan Smith record after NCAA punishment for Michigan State football
Reporting by Andrew Birkle, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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