EAST LANSING – Jonathan Smith feels the pressure to produce growing. Internally and externally.
One loss after another, five in a row for Michigan State football. A second straight defeat against rival Michigan. Rumors swirling and frustration building.
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“For me, you continue to keep the main thing the main thing. And that’s really our players, our staff, the focus being on that, the work that’s being done,” Smith said Monday, Oct. 27. “Yeah, my name is at the top of this thing. But there are a lot that are affected and are going through the disappointment of losing a few games in a row here. So, I just think about the others and appreciate the work that continues to go, especially when it’s hard.
“It’s easier to stay motivated when success is a little bit easier. Things are hard, but I appreciate the group that we got that continue to work on the day to day.”
After Saturday’s 31-20 loss to the Wolverines, Smith now owns an 8-12 record with three conference wins in 14 attempts as the Spartans (3-5, 0-5 Big Ten) head to Minnesota (5-3, 3-2) on Saturday, Nov. 1. Kickoff is 3:30 p.m (BTN) as Smith and his staff try to get things fixed and end their downward spiral, with their job security in jeopardy.
“I think there’s always urgency to get it better. That’s what the role is of coaching and playing in this game,” Smith said. “You’re always wanting to figure out a better way to do it and find results and success.”
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Smith said he has met weekly throughout the season with new athletic director J Batt, who was hired in June. And Batt has been a consistent observer during Smith’s postgame press conferences, home and away, throughout the first two months.
Michigan State’s head coach Jonathan Smith leaves the field after the Spartans loss to Michigan after the game on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing.
“We’ve had conversations on areas where we gotta continue to find improvement. Those conversations are pretty consistent…,” Smith said. “I love being in a place that’s competitive. I want to get things right, I want to come out on the right side of the scoreboard. And that’s where we’re at right now.”
As coach at Oregon State, Smith took his alma mater from 9-22 in his first three seasons (including the pandemic-shortened 2020) to a 25-13 mark over his final three years before leaving for MSU. That success in the NIL era came from program-building in the years prior to it.
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“Yeah, results are the No. 1 priority. But you still find pockets of growth in establishing the relationships,” he said. “Development of players, we’re still taking that approach here in Year 2, just like we did in Year 2 at Oregon State. And so it’s controlling what you can control, keeping the main thing the main thing. And that is thinking about the team, the players, the individuals buying in, continuing to work and grow and counting on things flipping when you take that approach.”
But Smith also sees a changed college football landscape for coaches in which that ability to develop and grow has been accelerated. All it takes is looking around to see Penn State fired James Franklin after going to the College Football Playoff a year ago, LSU fired Brian Kelly on Sunday and a number of other major programs that have either made in-season changes already or are on the verge of doing so.
Michigan State’s head coach Jonathan Smith looks on during the first quarter in the gamed against Michigan on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing.
“It continues to change,” Smith said. “I still think there’s some beauty in coaching that doesn’t change in regards to growth, the competition, repurposing this game of football to add value to these guys lives that are going through hard times, finding success.
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“I still think there’s beauty, especially in football – such a large, diverse group coming together for a common goal and going through good, ups and downs, and that life experience adding benefit to their long-term life.”
Asked if he feels that is being abandoned in this era of win-now culture, with millions of dollars flowing to coaches and players and athletes being able to transfer whenever and wherever they want, Smith called the term “a strong word.”
“I do think there’s less time and work,” he said. “Call it a good distraction because there’s compensation. There’s a lot more distractions when you throw in some immediate results needed, other parties involved outside of just mom, dad, the player and coach. All of that is different.”
Though the 46-year-old former college star quarterback said he is getting support within the community via text messages, Smith evaded questions about where MSU’s financial support for the football program is right now.
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“I think I probably speak for every coach in America, right? ‘Yeah, that was a good get, investment’ now, that term. ‘We maybe overspent or underspent over there,’” he said. “Injuries, always you can’t forecast, so do we have depth in a couple of spots? Well, where our injuries took place, we’re a little lighter at a spot or two that we couldn’t totally forecast. So we have those conversations, but not totally weekly.”
Asked directly if he has had access to a large enough pool of monetary resources for attracting talent, either elite high school recruits or top-tier transfers in the portal, Smith deflected to the industry at large.
“It’s lack of transparency. You don’t totally know,” he said. “What’s big enough? What’s not? You hear things, this and that. I do feel like I like this group that we’ve got together, the way they work and are going. So more transparency, I do think, is better for college football.”
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State football’s Jonathan Smith on his job status amid rumors
