“Jonathan Smith is on the hot seat.”
That was the sentiment that was echoing around the Michigan State fanbase on Saturday night at around 7 p.m. when the Spartans coughed up a 21-14 second-half lead to lose 38-27 in excruciating fashion. A game that seemed to be in the Spartans’ hands just slipped away in a matter of minutes.
Poor quarterback play (likely stemming from a first-half injury), coaching mistakes, and special teams letdowns led to the 11-point loss in Lincoln, and Smith had some tough questions to answer.
Outside of the obviously heated discussion on the sidelines between Nick Marsh and Aidan Chiles, Smith had to speak on the poor offensive line play and just all-around coaching disasterclass.
His answers? Not great. He told the media shortly after the win that he didn’t see any glaring issues on the offensive line despite his quarterback taking hit after hit and suffering an injury in the first half that caused him to be timid in the pocket in the final three quarters.
Smith acted and spoke like a coach who had no idea how to solve the team’s issues, and fans started jumping ship after the poor performance. It’s one thing to lose a game as 12.5-point underdogs, but it’s another to lose after having the game in hand and just handing it away while your head coach looks unbothered by the mistakes on the sidelines.
Many believe Smith could be on the hot seat soon, but a recent tweet from Spartans Illustrated’s David Harns shows that might be easier said than done.
Jonathan Smith isn't going anywhere anytime soon. If he were to be fired without cause, his buyout would be $31,556,250 before 2/1/26 (it would be $25,415,000 after 2/1/26). No, it's not cut in half because Haller is gone. What he would pay if he voluntarily left got cut in half.
— David Harns (@DavidHarns) October 5, 2025
That’s right, a Jonathan Smith buyout would cost Michigan State over $30 million if he were to be fired before February 1, 2026. If he’s fired after that, it drops by about $6 million. Still, not an ideal situation to be in directly after Mel Tucker signed one of the most lucrative contracts in college football history a few years earlier.
It would likely take a nightmare end to the season for J Batt to make the move and take the massive financial hit, but it’s not completely out of the question.
Michigan State’s donors have the money, it’s just about how they feel about the current state of the program and Smith as the head coach of the future. If they’re out on him and willing to front the money, the decision becomes easier. If not, a missed bowl may not signal the end of his tenure.