MSU Football Gets Blunt Critique From Super Bowl-Winning Coach
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Three weeks into the season, Michigan State had a 3-0 record and got a revenge win against Boston College at home after BC beat them in Jonathan Smith's first year.
Now, Michigan State Football has lost to its in-state rival, the Michigan Wolverines, and it seems that the program is in a free fall as they are now 3-5 and 0-5 in the Big Ten.
As of now, head coach Jonathan Smith has been on the hot seat as the Spartans have been looking worse since their loss to USC.
What was once a great program, contending for the Big Ten Championship and even making the college football playoff under Mark Dantonio, has now spiraled into a program that is becoming irrelevant.
Michigan State Basketball Legend Magic Johnson, who will always cheer on his Spartans in any sport, wrote about his thoughts on the team on X.
- “It’s been hard for me to cheer for my Michigan State Football team. They are 0-5 in the Big Ten, the offense is lacking imagination, and the team overall looks uninspired.”
If that wasn't bad enough, our own Hondo Carpenter received a message from a Super Bowl-winning head coach. While speaking with Jonathan Schoop in a recap of the rivalry loss, Carpenter read the message he got and it wasn't positive.
What Was Said
- “Hondo, I'm watching your Sparties because I know how much you love these guys. What the hell is going on? Jonathan Smith, as I told you before they hired him, was a terrific offensive mind. What does the offensive coordinator have on this guy? This is not the way Jonathan Smith calls an offense. Why do you have a mind like his and you're not using him?”
The unnamed Super Bowl-winning coach would explain that Smith should be the one to call plays and not the offensive coordinator.
- “Does anybody else not realize in our sport, Andy Reid calls the plays, and he’s got a lot of hardware, what about Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss? And there are others that I could point out as well. I understand this was a major rebuild. I give Jonathan Smith that, but I'm flabbergasted that this guy is not taking over the offense. What is going on in East Lansing?
The state of the program is a mess as of right now, and the new athletic director, J Batt, has his work cut out for him.
As Michigan State heads to Minnesota, Smith has to look in the mirror and make a change with the offense, because what’s going on right now is obviously not working.
Hopefully, he can't get it together and remind the Michigan State fandom why he was able to win at Oregon State, and why he was a big-time coaching candidate for multiple schools.
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Luke Joseph is a graduate of Michigan State University with a degree in journalism. Drawing on his extensive knowledge of sports and commitment to storytelling, he serves as a general sports reporter On SI, covering the NFL and college athletics with insight and expertise.