Things are not looking good for Jonathan Smith at Michigan State.
“USC football fans were firsthand witness just a few weekends ago to what has become of under Jonathan Smith,” Trojans Wire writer Ethan Inman wrote in a previous article. “Star quarterback Aidan Chiles hasn’t developed nearly as quickly as Spartan fans hoped, and they feel he isn’t being correctly utilized in the offense anyway. On the other side of the ball, the defense is soft and has no hope of stopping even a decent Big Ten offense.”
On the flip side, things are going even worse for Smith’s former home, Oregon State. They fired Head Coach Trent Bray after an 0-7 start to the season.
Before Smith went to Michigan State, he had a good thing going in Corvallis. In his final two years at the school, the Beavers went 18-8, finishing in the Top 20 in both the AP and CFP polls both seasons.
If Smith is forced to move on just like the Beavers, could we him return to Oregon State? Our Trojans Wire and UCLA wire writers, who have plenty of familiarity with Smith as a former Pac-12 rival, weigh in.
Matt Zemek, Editor
It’s up to Oregon State to decide if there are no more hard feelings. That divorce was bitter, but Smith might now realize Corvallis is a place where he knows how to put together a good team. The Big Ten was too much for him. A retreat to the Pacific Northwest is not an absurd idea, let’s put it that way.
Adam Bradford, Trojans Wire
This would certainly be fun, but a ton has changed in the sport since Smith left Oregon State two years ago—the Beavers are effectively a G5 program now. Plain and simple, I do not think that any coach could accomplish in Corvallis in the modern era what Smith did during his time there.
Micah Huff, Trojans Wire
Jonathan Smith will definitely be looking for jobs soon, but this will be a backward move. Oregon State is in shambles right now, though. Both sides definitely could use each other, and this was a marriage that definitely worked. Out of all the possible outcomes, this is not the worst option; there are some legs to this. Smith definitely is not cut out for the Big Ten.
Ethan Inman, Trojans Wire
It’s tough for OSU to be picky after an 0-7 start this year, and Smith did have a good thing going there from 2022-23. If I was an Oregon State fan I would be open to the reunion if Smith also seemed energized to return.
Ryan Lorenz, UCLA Wire
If they can’t get someone like James Franklin, then yes. Smith should definitely be in contention for their head coaching job because it can’t get much worse than how they are doing right now. They have a history, so if they can work through that, then hiring someone with familiarity definitely should be considered.
Dylan McNeill, UCLA Wire
Why not? Things can’t get much worse for the Beavers. They’re 0-7 and are looking like a hopeless program. Smith would be motivated after getting canned from Michigan State and could create a renewed sense of excitement for a program that really needs it.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Big Ten Roundtable: A Jonathan Smith and Oregon State Reunion
Reporting by Matt Zemek, Adam Bradford, Ethan Inman and Micah Huff, Trojans Wire / Trojans Wire
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