Evaluating the Jonathan Smith Era 16 Games In

On this episode of the MSU Spartans Insider Podcast, we go over the job that Jonathan Smith has done across his first 16 games as MSU's head coach.

Michigan State head coach Jonathan Smith watches a play against Michigan during the first half at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

We are now a third of the way through Jonathan Smith's second season as the head coach at Michigan State, otherwise known as 16 total games. Across those contests, the Spartans have an 8-8 record, but a very uninspiring 3-7 mark against the Big Ten.

People don't have the patience that they used to, and most would like to see a turnaround sooner rather than later.

On this edition of the Michigan State Spartans Insider Podcast, we dive into how the Jonathan Smith era has gone so far, what the future outlook is, and what Smith needs to help bring the Spartans back to success.

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Below is also a partial transcript of Smith's latest press conference from last Saturday, shortly following Michigan State's 45-31 loss at USC.

Jonathan Smith Transcript

Michigan State head coach Jonathan Smith speaks to the media following a 45-31 loss to USC on Sept. 20, 2025. | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

SMITH: We just didn’t have enough. Credit to USC, that’s a good football team… but we didn’t have enough, at the end of the day.

Our guys, I appreciate it; we're down at halftime, went in there, regrouped. SC scores first, in the second half we're down 21 points, and the guys continued to battle, find a way to get into a seven-point game into the third quarter. But then again, we just don't have enough to finish the deal. 

Credit to them. I thought a couple of times we had forced them to a fourth down, they convert. A couple of times, the quarterback, we're around him, a chance to come on the ground, don't do it. And so they finished better than us.

Sep 20, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans defensive end Braylan Shelby (10) reacts after sacking Michigan State Spartans quarterback Aidan Chiles (2) during the second half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Defensively, we've gotta find a way to play the run better throughout the game. And they did a nice job, mixed in some pressure and they were not pressuring. Credit to those guys, the way they ran the ball, that really was a big, big difference, I think, in their success.

They knew they were gonna be exposed in the pass game, but when you got both of that going, the pass game and then the run game where it was. Yeah, made it tough.

Q: Do you have injury updates on Wayne Matthews III and others?

SMITH: Yeah, what I was just told quickly that going through all the thorough evaluation, took them over to the hospital, positive signs. But they were looking for confirmation on tests and things, but positive signs, that's what I was quickly told. 

Stanton Ramil, first quarter, couldn't return. And then, yeah, Quindarius (Dunnigan) and Nikai (Martinez), both of them, same play, couldn't return after that, and then Wayne. 

Jonathan Smith patrols the sidelines during Michigan State's game at USC on Sept. 20, 2025. | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

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