The big board of potential Michigan State football coaching candidates is shrinking by the day.
Earlier this month, Virginia Tech and James Franklin agreed on a deal to make him the next head coach, crushing the hopes and dreams of many Spartan fans who were hopeful that he’d be in East Lansing next year. Franklin would have made a lot of sense because he knows the Midwest and he’s recruited the same players as Michigan State for years.
Unfortunately, it’s back to the drawing board for fans who are hoping for a Jonathan Smith buyout in the coming weeks. The second-year head coach has been adamant that he can turn the program around still, but fans’ patience has worn out, and J Batt’s might, too.
Another top name came off the board on Wednesday, however, shrinking the list of names that the Spartans could go after once again.
Alex Golesh has been hired to be the next head coach of Arkansas, replacing Sam Pittman.
SOURCES: @CoachGolesh has accepted an offer to be the next Head Coach of @RazorbackFB pic.twitter.com/RQPfCu79aT
— Trey Schaap (@TreySchaap) November 26, 2025
Honestly, this is a great move by Arkansas and the fit makes more sense than Golesh to Michigan State, but it still hurts seeing a guy that many Spartan fans wanted to lead the program heading elsewhere. Golesh will have success at Arkansas, but that may be a tougher job than Michigan State considering he has to go up against the likes of Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas, Oklahoma, LSU, and others for recruits on a regular basis.
Golesh did a great job at South Florida, turning around what looked to be a program deemed too difficult to fix. He led the Bulls to three straight winning seasons and three straight bowls. The last coaches to see success in Tampa were Charlie Strong and Willie Taggart — Golesh is obviously aiming for more Power Four success than those two.
The Spartans still have yet to make a decision on Smith’s future with Michigan State. Smith doesn’t know what the decision will be either, but he’s still confident that he can turn things around.
Michigan State fans are far less confident.
We’ll see what Batt draws up after the Maryland game on Friday.