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Report: Michigan State 'at the 5-yard line' with Oregon State's Jonathan Smith

Alex Weberby:Alex Weber•11/25/23
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Oregon State Beavers head coach Jonathan Smith looks toward the scoreboard as he watches the game against the UCLA Bruins during the second half of the game on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023 at Reser Stadium in Corvallis, Ore.

Michigan State could be zeroing in on its next head football coach. On Saturday morning, ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg confirmed that the Spartans are very close to sealing the deal with Oregon State’s Jonathan Smith.

Here was the latest report from Rittenberg, which he tweeted out:

“Michigan State and Jonathan Smith are at ‘the 5-yard line,’ a source said, but still some meetings later today before anything is finalized with the Oregon State coach.”

Smith and Oregon State just finished their regular season up on Friday night with the Beavers falling on the road vs. rival Oregon to round out a very successful 8-4 regular season in the difficult Pac-12. Meanwhile, Michigan State also wrapped up their regular season Friday, losing to Penn State at home, 42-0.

Bruce Feldman adds to Smith speculation

Fox Sports’ Bruce Feldman also thinks the Spartans may have found a likely candidate out west.

He joined Big Noon Kickoff Saturday morning ahead of Week 13’s Rivalry Week slate, where he further fanned the flames of rumors that Oregon State’s Jonathan Smith could be the next head honcho in East Lansing. When asked about Michigan State’s efforts in the coaching carousel, Feldman immediately noted their focus on Smith.

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Here was that report:

“Well, after months of a coaching search, they have focused their attention on Oregon State’s Jonathan Smith. Now, he has done a really amazing job breathing life back into his alma mater’s program for the last few years. He also knows that it’s a very tricky time as you’ve got the uncertainty with the Beavers in life after the Pac-12. So I don’t think it’s any slam dunk he makes this decision right now, but he is the one that they really want and we’ll see where it goes this weekend.”

Per Feldman, MSU is looking hard at Smith and could very well send him the job offer soon. He’s not certain that Smith would accept the job given that he’s a Beaver at heart and has long called Corvalis home.

However, with the likely pay bump and the upgrade to the Big Ten when Oregon State is in conference free fall, it’ll be hard for Jonathan Smith to say no. Plus, the latest reporting from Rittenberg seems to suggest that Smith is going through with the move and will soon put ink to paper in a deal to move to Michigan State.

There are sure to be more updates on this story today.