Jonathan Smith ranked just outside of CBS Sports' top 25 Power 4 head coaches
It's offseason list time which means we get to tirelessly debate opinions from publications and authors that we barely know. Michigan State football fans love a good debate, right?
Well, the Spartans have something to talk about on after CBS Sports came out with its yearly Power Four head coaching rankings.
Tom Fornelli of CBS Sports posted his annual rankings and while the top 25 hasn't come out yet, Nos. 26-68 were posted on last week. Somehow these rankings flew under the radar a bit, but it was interesting to see where Jonathan Smith was ranked among Power Four head coaches.
Unsurprisingly, he's right on the verge of the top 25 at No. 27.
"I would argue that our annual coach rankings were ahead of the curve on Smith; he's done well here on an annual basis. Now that Smith has landed a Big Ten job at Michigan State, his profile will likely rise further. Considering the total roster overhaul that's taken place in East Lansing this offseason, I don't know how expectations should be set this season, but Smith's track record suggests Sparty will be happy with its decision in the long run."
- Tom Fornelli, CBS Sports
It's tough to disagree with anything he said there. Smith has been a fixture among the top-half of coaches on this list for the past few years and he actually jumped five spots from last year's Power Four rankings.
Smith's profile is only going to rise now that he's at Michigan State which is capable of winning bigger than Oregon State. He's also done a solid job with the roster overhaul and he doesn't get enough credit for how he crushed the transfer portal this spring.
"Smith's track record suggests Sparty will be happy with its decision in the long run."
That quote really stood out because it couldn't be more accurate and rival fans who like to bring up his overall record seem to forget he took over one of the worst Power Five programs (at the time) in the country and had to rebuild it from the ground up.
Michigan State's new head ball coach is ranked ahead of guys like Matt Rhule, Jedd Fisch, Mike Elko, Brent Venables, Mack Brown, Pat Narduzzi, PJ Fleck, Greg Schiano, Billy Napier, Sherrone Moore, and Deion Sanders.
This program is in good hands -- and experts agree.