When Jonathan Smith took over at his alma mater back in 2018, Oregon State had just won a total of seven games over the previous three seasons. The program had hit an all-time low, winning just one game in 2017 under Gary Andersen and interim coach Cory Hall.
Smith knew he was facing a massive rebuild.
In year one, he won just two games, going 2-10 on the year with a 1-8 mark in Pac-12 play. In year two, he improved Oregon State to 5-7, and he quadrupled his Pac-12 wins. The 2020 season was a wash, and I don't think any coach should be held responsible for poor seasons during COVID-19, and Smith went 2-5 that year.
Something changed after COVID, however. Smith led Oregon State to its first bowl game in nearly a decade in 2021, going 7-6. He then led the Beavers to their first 10-win season since 2006 the following year, also winning the program's first bowl game in 10 years. Smith then responded with a solid 8-4 regular season before losing the Sun Bowl in 2023.
In the three years after COVID, Smith led Oregon State (a usual bottom-dweller) to a 25-14 overall record. It took Oregon State eight serious prior to win just 28 games, and Smith nearly matched that number in less than half the time.
Basically, what I'm saying is: it's really hard to win at Oregon State.
In fact, the program has just three 10-plus-win seasons in its history, and Smith owns one of them. It has also only appeared in 18 bowls, winning 10 of them. Smith appeared in three of his own and won one. And he did all of this with a limited budget in a program that doesn't exactly splurge for its football team. He won against all odds.
Now that he's gone, Oregon State has become one of the worst teams in college football. Since his departure following the 2023 regular season, Oregon State is 5-11 (including the 2023 Sun Bowl that Kefense Hyson coached). The Beavers are also out to an 0-3 start to the 2025 season, looking like a team that might not win a game this year. That's just two years removed from Smith.
What does all of this mean? It means that Smith knows how to win, even at a school that's not known for competing or even spending money on its football program.
So when I see all of these Spartan fans on X talking about how they hope UCLA poaches Smith, I'm genuinely confused. Since when did we give up on a coach just 1.25 years into a rebuild where he has a winning record? He is a program builder, and he's shown that.
For all the Michigan State fans who would be fine with Smith leaving for UCLA, be careful what you wish for. Smith is going to build a winner wherever he goes, as long as the fanbase shows patience.
Let's hope he remains in East Lansing -- Oregon State fans already miss him.