Oregon State football coaching job: Pluses, minuses and candidates after Jonathan Smith
Oregon State needs a new head coach, after Jonathan Smith left his alma mater to take the head coaching job at Michigan State . Smith went 34-35 in six seasons, but he was 25-13 over the last three years. His decision to leave comes at a critical time for Oregon State, with the Pac-12 all but dissolving after this season. Oregon State athletic director Scott Barnes noted Smith’s efforts “to rebuild the culture at Oregon State, both on the field and in the classroom” in a statement thanking Smith for his time at OSU and announcing a national coaching search.
So how good is the Oregon State job? What names could get in the mix? Here are the factors to keep in mind.
Oregon State’s future is very uncertain
Oregon State and Washington State were left behind when the rest of the Pac-12 ran for the Big Ten and Big 12. The two schools have won some temporary court battles against the rest in terms of the Pac-12 board and control of assets, but they still don’t have a conference or a media rights deal for next year. The Athletic has reported that the two are working on a scheduling alliance with the Mountain West, likely for the next two years, but details are still being hammered out and the MWC needs some financial and longer-term commitments.
Oregon State and Washington State clearly don’t want to just join the Mountain West, so they may try to hang in purgatory for two years and attempt to rebuild the Pac-12 in some form. The College Football Playoff is likely moving to a 5+7 format for next year, though Washington State president Kirk Schulz is among the group that needs to approve that.
The transfer portal is about to open, and Oregon State needs to have a plan to present its athletes to keep them around. The same goes for attracting coaching candidates. The timing of all of this could not be worse.
You can win here
Nobody knew that better than Smith, who led the Beavers to a Fiesta Bowl as a quarterback in 2000 and then won as head coach. From 1971 to ‘98, the Beavers had 28 consecutive losing seasons. But they’ve reached 14 bowl games since then.
This is a program that has learned how to win again, and while the conference change is a difficult big-picture issue, it could create a winning situation on the field when going up against a lot of Mountain West schools.
The facilities are new and top-notch
This year marked the debut of the renovated Reser Stadium, which included a new west side of the stadium. More than $360 million has gone into renovating the stadium since 2005. There’s also the Valley Football Center, a 100,000-square foot football complex that opened in 2017 at the cost of $46 million. It includes one of the largest locker rooms in the country, coaches’ offices, players’ lounges, meeting rooms and more.
The sports performance center opened in 2008 and was renovated in 2020, featuring a new weight room, a nutrition center and more. There’s also a full-length indoor practice field, which opened in 2001.
Oregon State has invested at a high level over the last decade and has said it plans to continue to do so even with the collapse of the Pac-12. It will likely have a lot of funds left over from the conference to continue doing that.
The program has made strides in NIL
It’s something every coach wants to know about a new job. Dam Nation is the preferred collective of Beaver athletics; it was started last year by former associate athletic director Kyle Bjornstad and former Nike executive Dick Oldfield. Former running back Steven Jackson is also an ambassador for the group.
So what names could get in the mix?
Based on conversations with industry sources, here are some names to keep in mind.
Oregon State offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren would be an option if the school opts for continuity. Lindgren has been the OC since he arrived with Smith in 2018. The Beavers were a top-20 team most of the season and are a top-30 scoring offense, thanks in large part to Lindgren’s work with DJ Uiagalelei . The 43-year-old is a Washington native who has spent his entire career out west, also working at Colorado, San Jose State and Northern Arizona.
Oregon State defensive coordinator Trent Bray is another internal option. The former Beaver linebacker immediately improved the defense upon his promotion to the job from linebackers coach midway through the 2021 season. He’s been on staff since 2018 and also from 2012 to ’14.
San Jose State head coach Brent Brennan has been in the mix for a few Power 5 jobs recently, including as a finalist at Arizona before it went to Jedd Fisch. Before SJSU, Brennan was Oregon State’s wide receivers coach from 2011 to ‘16. At SJSU, he’s taken the Spartans to three bowl games in four seasons for the first time in school history, highlighted by a 7-1 season and Mountain West title in 2020. He knows Oregon State, and he’s got head coaching experience.
Fresno State head coach Jeff Tedford has twice done a remarkable job with the Bulldogs . In 2017, he inherited a 1-11 program and went 22-6 over the next two seasons, including a MWC championship. Tedford stepped away due to health issues but returned two years later when Kalen DeBoer went to Washington. In his second stint, Fresno State is 18-7, with another MWC title and top-25 finish last year. Tedford was Oregon’s offensive coordinator from 1998 to 2001 and is plenty familiar with the West Coast. The 62-year-old could be a steady hand during this time of transition.
Washington offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb has led the most explosive offense in the country the last two years, with the Huskies 22-2 over that span and currently 11-0 with Michael Penix Jr. sitting as a Heisman Trophy favorite. Grubb passed on the Alabama offensive coordinator job to stay with Kalen DeBoer, knowing a big season was in store. He and DeBoer go way back, working together at Fresno State, Eastern Michigan and NAIA Sioux Falls. He’s expected to get looks to lead his own program soon.
Former Auburn coach Bryan Harsin is expected to be in the mix for multiple Mountain West jobs. Harsin went 69-19 as Boise State ’s head coach from 2014 to ’20. He won the Fiesta Bowl and finished with a top-15 team in his first season but never quite reached that level again, though he did go 45-8 in Mountain West play and won three conference championships. Harsin was fired less than two years into his tenure at Auburn, a place that never made sense from a fit or culture perspective. But back out west, he could be a good fit again.
Former Virginia and BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall was in the mix for the Colorado job last year, and he’s been in contact with a few jobs in this cycle. He went 135-81 as a head coach from 2005 to ’21, a consistent winner with 11 seasons of at least eight victories. The Utah native is plenty familiar with the region and the Mountain West. But if he’s interested in coming back after stepping away from the sport in 2021, he’ll have to show he’s ready to keep up with the new era of college football.
Montana State head coach Brent Vigen is 32-7 in two-plus seasons, reaching the FCS national championship in 2021 and the semifinal in 2022. Before that, he was a Wyoming offensive assistant for seven seasons and a North Dakota State assistant for 16 years. He knows the Mountain West region, and he’s got head coaching experience.
Idaho head coach Jason Eck has turned the Vandals from a losing team into a top-five FCS program, currently 8-3 and ranked No. 4 in Eck’s second season. He’s 15-8 in two years with what will be two top-25 finishes. He was previously at South Dakota State, including three years as offensive coordinator.
Missouri offensive coordinator Kirby Moore has directed one of the most improved offenses in the SEC this season. At Mizzou, where he calls the plays, the Tigers went 10-2 in the regular season and scored at least 33 points in every SEC game except against Georgia, but Mizzou’s 21 points were tied for the most anyone has scored on the Bulldogs this year. He spent 2017-22 as Fresno State’s offensive coordinator, where he was one of the best recruiters in the Mountain West, and Fresno State led the league in scoring in his last season.(Photo: Tom Hauck / )
