Concerning Numbers Surrounding Jonathan Smith's Tenure at MSU

Michigan State has not done a lot of winning with Jonathan Smith at the helm.

Michigan State head coach Jonathan Smith looks downward during the Spartans' game against USC on Sept. 20, 2025. | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

The picture on the cover of this story sums up Jonathan Smith's tenure at Michigan State so far. 

Lots of miscues, poor play on both sides of the ball, and dejected heads dropping perfectly encapsulate Smith’s 8-10 record through just under two full seasons in East Lansing. 

Michigan State's head coach Jonathan Smith walks the sideline during the fourth 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

Few have much faith left in his ability to turn things around for the Spartans, and while it may be premature to hit the eject button on Smith before he completes a second season, he has not given many reasons to be optimistic about where things are headed. 

His track record at Oregon State was impressive, but it has not come with him to the Midwest. There have been some alarming numbers over the last two years under Smith at MSU. 

Possibly the most concerning one? Smith has had three separate three-game losing streaks in his 18 games as the Spartan head coach. 

MSU's losses in 2024

Sep 28, 2024; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (4) runs past Michigan State Spartans defensive back Ed Woods (4) in the first quarter at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Young-Imagn Images | Dale Young-Imagn Images

In 2024, he lost to Boston College, Ohio State, and Oregon before stopping the skid against Iowa. Then, he lost to Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois before scraping by a bad Purdue team. 

MSU's losses in 2025

Oct 11, 2025; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; UCLA running back Jalen Berger (0) reacts against the Michigan State Spartans after scoring a touchdown in the third quarter at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brendan Mullin-Imagn Images | Brendan Mullin-Imagn Images

This season, Smith has lost to USC, Nebraska, and UCLA in the last three games. 

To give Smith the benefit of the doubt for 2024, it was his first season at a new program, and the first stretch of games would be difficult for any coach to handle. 

Dropping games to Boston College on the road in bad weather will happen. Playing the eventual national champions and then turning around and playing at one of the toughest stadiums six days later is no easy feat. 

However, the next stretch of games he lost was borderline unacceptable. There was almost no reason to lose that game to Michigan, and the Illinois game was more winnable than the final score might indicate. 

That stretch cost the Spartans a bowl game, causing fans to sour on Smith. This season was big for him to get back in the good graces of Spartan Nation. 

He has not done so, as MSU dropped a winnable game against Nebraska and got dominated on both sides of the ball against a listless UCLA team. Things are spiraling, and they don’t appear to be improving any time soon. 

Good coaches can right the ship and stop the bleeding when teams go on winning streaks. 

Sep 6, 2025; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Michigan State head coach Jonathan Smith walks across the field following a double-overtime victory over Boston College at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brendan Mullin-Imagn Images | Brendan Mullin-Imagn Images

Smith has not appeared to be capable of that, and questions about his future in East Lansing continue to grow.

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