How Hot is Coach Smith's Seat at MSU

Even though Jonathan Smith is not even done with his second year of coaching he is still under some fire from fans and critics.

Michigan State's head coach Jonathan Smith looks on during the second quarter in the game against UCLA on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Since Dantonio, MSU football hasn't been a known powerhouse. The exception is Mel Tucker's first year of coaching in 2021, when Michigan State University won all but two games and appeared to be a playoff contender.

Since then, MSU has cemented itself as an obvious non-contender, and its struggles have continued to show throughout the years. Through the last five years, even with 2021's amazing season, MSU still had a lot of defensive problems. In 2021, the Spartans' run defense was amazing, but their pass defense was some of the worst in the FBS.

Oct 11, 2025; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Michigan State wide receiver Nick Marsh (6) celebrates a touchdown against the UCLA Bruins with quarterback Alessio Milivojevic (11) in the fourth quarter at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brendan Mullin-Imagn Images | Brendan Mullin-Imagn Images

Coming into the 2024 season, MSU needed a new head coach. Mel Tucker got fired, and Michigan State needed a new coach. SO, they reached out to Oregon State coach Jonathan Smith. While at OSU, Smith built quite a resume with many impressive players. The year before joining, they made a bowl game and had a great season.

In the first season of a rebuilding system, no team is expected to make the playoffs, but signs of improvement are needed. Smith brought over a lot of players from OSU, and almost all of them made an immediate impact on the team by starting or playing crucial roles.

Oct 18, 2025; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti and Michigan State Spartans head coach Jonathan Smith talk prior to the game at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images | Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

The first part of any rebuild is recruiting, and at first, it looked promising as Smith brought a lot of players over. His first season wasn't thrilling, as MSU didn't make a bowl game, but that wasn't surprising since they were in a rebuild. Smith's seat was still not in jeopardy. Over the offseason, Smith had a great month before preseason recruiting.

This season, several adverse events have occurred. One positive for Smith is that many of the players he started with are developing well with the team, including Nick Marsh and Aidan Chiles.

But with a disappointing conference record of 0-4 and two 4-star recruits recently pulling back their commitment, many fans think Smith needs to go. On the other hand, players like Jack Velling quickly came to Smith's defense, affirming the players' support for him.

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