Everyone associated with Michigan State these days has an opinion on the state of the football program under second-year head coach Jonathan Smith.
Everyone, including Magic Johnson.
The Hall of Fame basketball player and Spartan legend knows what it takes to win big in East Lansing. Heck, he brought the basketball program its first-ever national title back in 1979. He then went to the Los Angeles Lakers where he won numerous titles. He's a flat-out winner.
So when he notices that the current state of the Michigan State football program is in dire straits, you should probably listen.
Magic is known for writing fact-based posts with very little emotion nor opinion, but he offered a damning opinion on the football program on Monday, saying that it's hard for him to cheer for the team and that they lack offensive imagination, and they're uninspired.
When Magic talks, everyone listens.
It’s been hard for me to cheer for my Michigan State Football team. They are 0-5 in the Big Ten, the offense is lacking imagination, and the team overall looks uninspired.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) October 27, 2025
This was a far cry from the usual "It was disappointing to see my school lose to Michigan" post that you'd expect from Magic because you can tell that even he's had enough with what's going on.
Smith has to feel the pressure now more than ever. He has fans breathing down his neck, calling for his job, and former players are doing the same. When Magic chimes in and says that what you're doing is just not good enough and the product on the field is difficult to root for, you know you're failing big-time.
Unfortunately, Michigan State has yet to make a move and the coaching staff is all in place. You never want to wish for someone to lose their job, but you'd at least like some sort of change to show that the athletic department is committed to improvement.
Maybe he'll turn it around in the final month. Magic Johnson, however, isn't confident.