Jonathan Smith’s response about Ryan Eckley’s future is yet another red flag

The Jonathan Smith era might be coming to a close, and for many Michigan State fans, that’s great news.

While Smith isn’t a bad coach and he proved himself as a program builder at Oregon State, the fit just hasn’t been there in East Lansing. He doesn’t have the personality to really inspire his players, coaching staff, or the donors that could make his job a whole lot easier. He’s a nice guy, but he just doesn’t have the fire that has made the legendary Michigan State coaches so successful.

Some might even say that Smith has lost control of his program — that infamous Bobby Williams quote still plays on repeat in some of our heads.

While Smith would probably be a much better fit at a smaller program (like Oregon State — the Beavers are looking for a coach again), he has shown some serious red flags during his time with the Spartans. As I said earlier, he just doesn’t have the emotion, or seemingly the passion, that resonates with Michigan State fans.

And you know how I said he may have lost control of the program? Another red flag popped up on Monday afternoon during his weekly presser.

Smith was asked about Ryan Eckley walking on senior day despite having one more year of eligibility, and the second-year head coach’s answer was concerning. He apparently hasn’t talked in depth to Eckley about his plans for next season. I’m not sure how that even happens.

Either Smith has no read on his players or he knows that his time is running out, so he gave an answer that was both surprising and confusing. How do you not have a read on what your best player is doing? He walked on senior day and was featured in all the senior day videos, so why would you be in the dark about his future.

It feels like everyone else knows what Eckley is doing aside from his head coach. Walking on senior day feels like a dead giveaway, especially for a punter.

It would be good to have this conversation before senior day. But here we are.