Michigan State 'Had to Step Up' to Land Jonathan Smith amid 7-Year Contract, AD Says

Tom Hauck/

Michigan State faced competition from other Power 5 teams before landing Jonathan Smith as its next head coach, so athletic director Alan Haller upped his offer to a seven-year deal to secure the former Oregon State coach.

"I was nervous a couple weeks ago because there were jobs that were talking about being open-and there were jobs that were open-that were looking at him," Haller said Tuesday, per ESPN . "I had to step up my pursuit."

The Spartans finished the 2023 season with a 4-8 record amid a tumultuous year highlighted by the firing of former head coach Mel Tucker, who was the subject of a university investigation following a sexual misconduct complaint.

As Michigan State begins preparing for a 2024 campaign that will see former Pac-12 schools Oregon, Washington, USC and UCLA officially joining the Big Ten, Haller said he felt like Smith was the right fit thanks to his experience coaching against those teams.

"There's no other Big Ten coach that is going to have that jumpstart on those four schools," said Haller, who interviewed 12 candidates for the position before hiring Smith.

The 44-year-old will make $7.25 million in the first year of his deal with the Spartans. Chris Solari of the provided the full details of Smith's contract:

Smith will be taking over a Michigan State program that has just one winning season in the last four years. However, he has experience turning programs around, as Oregon State was a one-win team the year before he was hired. The Beavers won 10 games last year as Smith was named Co-Pac-12 Coach of the Year. He had a 34-35 record in six seasons at Oregon State.

"A lot of us in this room understand, this is going to take some work," Smith said at his introductory news conference. "I am definitely excited and up for the challenge-and the opportunity."