Michigan State fires Jonathan Smith: Top candidates, transfers, recruits

The thought of pulling the plug on a second-year coach, especially a respected and established one like Jonathan Smith, seems absurd to many. But the money and expectations have never been higher in college football, including at a Michigan State program that has quickly lost all national relevancy. Smith was fired Sunday with a final record of 4-15.

Remember, MSU actually has made the College Football Playoff, unlike programs like USC, Florida, Miami and Texas A&M. The Spartans had an AP top-10 finish as recently as 2021, when they finished 11-2 and won the Peach Bowl after awarding then-coach Mel Tucker a record contract. Even after Tucker's tenure ended in disgrace, Michigan State aggressively plucked Smith, who briefly had Oregon State in the CFP conversation in 2023, to lead its program.

But Smith's tenure started slowly last season and, after a 3-0 start to the 2025 season, veered sharply with four consecutive Big Ten losses. The concerns about Smith being a total outsider who had never coached East of Montana became magnified. The athletics director who hired Smith, Alan Haller, was fired this spring, replaced by J Batt, who had no connection to him. The circumstances changed quickly for Smith, a gifted coach who, in hindsight, would have been better off waiting for jobs like Washington and UCLA to open.

Michigan State hired Batt to improve its financial structure, which will help its football program climb up the Big Ten pecking order. The Spartans might not win two league titles in three years any time soon, like they did in 2013 and 2015, but they have the ingredients to be in the top half of the league and occasionally chase CFP appearances. MSU also might need its next coach to be more connected to the school or the region. -- Adam Rittenberg

Candidates | Transfers | Recruits

Five candidates for the job

Pat Fitzgerald: The former Northwestern coach settled his nine-figure wrongful termination lawsuit with his former employer and is ready to coach for the first time since 2023. Schools must determine whether they're getting the Fitzgerald who guided Northwestern to Big Ten championship game appearances in 2018 and 2020, and who had five AP Top 25 finishes between 2012 and 2020, or the one who went 4-20 in his past two seasons and didn't eclipse four wins in three of his past four. Fitzgerald, 50, is a Chicago-area native who played in the Big Ten and will fit at many schools in the league. He would bring an element of stability to a Michigan State program that really needs it after the Tucker and Smith eras.

Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi: Of the long-tenured FBS coaches out there, none has a more direct connection to MSU than Narduzzi, who served as the team's defensive coordinator under Mark Dantonio from 2007 to 2014. He won the Broyles Award as the nation's top assistant in 2013 and helped MSU to a Big Ten title and a Rose Bowl championship. He has an ACC title in 2021 and two division championships at Pitt, where he has reached bowl games in seven of nine seasons. Narduzzi, 59, could keep going at Pitt, a place he likes and where he has a talented young quarterback in Mason Heintschel. But he's also at a point where a move makes sense, and Michigan State would be a natural landing spot.

Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck: Michigan State is desperate for consistency and Fleck could be the answer after reaching bowl games -- and winning them -- every season since 2018 other than the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign. He understands the Big Ten and the state, where he had his first head-coaching opportunity at Western Michigan and reached the Cotton Bowl during the 2016 season. Fleck is 95-66 as an FBS head coach and seems ready for his next challenge, especially at a place that makes sense. The 44-year-old is known for "Row the Boat" and other cultural program elements, but he's also a heck of a coach who has done more with less at Minnesota and would embrace the elements that MSU needs with its next hire.

Brian Kelly: The fallout from Kelly's firing at LSU and the overall negativity surrounding him makes an immediate return to the sideline less likely. Kelly got fired a day after his 64th birthday, and while he appears fit and energized, he certainly doesn't need the money and already has a Hall of Fame coaching profile, including 200 FBS wins. But if he still wants to coach, a job like Michigan State makes a lot of sense, especially with enhanced financial resources. Kelly coached in the state from 1987 to 2006, winning two Division II national titles with Grand Valley State and a MAC championship with Central Michigan in 2006. He still has a home in Michigan and could reestablish his winning ways in a more comfortable setting than LSU.

Georgia Tech coach Brent Key: You might be wondering: Isn't Key another outsider after Smith didn't pan out? The answer is yes, but look a bit further. Batt promoted Key as Georgia Tech's permanent coach in 2022 and watched him grow into one of the better ACC coaches. Key, a former Georgia Tech offensive lineman, has his alma mater off to its first 8-0 start since 1966. He also believes in a line-of-scrimmage-based philosophy -- "Run the bawl," he says with his Southern accent -- that would resonate at Michigan State and in the Big Ten. Key is 7-1 against ranked opponents at Georgia Tech and could take MSU teams into Ohio Stadium and other top Big Ten venues and not flinch. The 47-year-old might not be willing to leave the comforts of his alma mater and the South, but he's worth a call. -- Rittenberg

Most important players to retain

WR Nick Marsh: Marsh emerged as one of the Big Ten's top young receivers during his true freshman season in 2024, leading the Spartans with 649 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 41 catches, including a 194-yard performance against Maryland in his Big Ten debut. The 6-foot-3, 203-pound former ESPN 300 recruit has turned 59 catches into 662 yards and six scores this season. Marsh has two more seasons of eligibility after this year and would have no shortage of suitors if he explores his options in the transfer portal.

QB Aidan Chiles: Chiles followed Jonathan Smith and his coaching staff from Oregon State to Michigan State after a promising freshman season in 2023 and gave the Spartans a talented young QB1 to rebuild around. Chiles has put up 4,136 total yards with 31 touchdowns and 21 turnovers through 20 starts in East Lansing. He's a 61% career passer with a 3-11 record against Big Ten opponents and missed the Spartans' final three games due to injury, but Chiles will have options if he opts to seek a fresh start ahead of his senior season.

LB Jordan Hall: The 6-foot-3, 238-pound junior is a captain for the Spartans and was their top tackler with 88 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and an interception in his first season as a full-time starter. Hall has one more season of eligibility and will be a key senior leader for this squad if he returns.

DT Derrick Simmons: Simmons was the top signee in the Spartans' 2025 recruiting class and has earned a lot of praise in his first year in the program, with defensive line coach Legi Suiaunoa calling him "not your normal freshman." He's a physically gifted 6-foot-3, 297-pound interior defensive lineman with a bright future. Simmons appeared in four games and will have four more seasons of eligibility remaining after redshirting.

OT Conner Moore: The Spartans won a big recruiting battle at the end of the winter portal cycle when they landed Moore, a two-year starter at FCS Montana State. The 6-foot-5, 306-pound redshirt junior started all 12 games this season and split his playing time between left tackle and right tackle. Moore will have one more season of eligibility next year if he doesn't go pro. -- Max Olson

Three key recruits

QB Kayd Coffman, No. 251 in the ESPN 300: Following a slew of decommitments over the last month, Coffman remains (for now) as the lone ESPN 300 pledge in the Spartans' 2026 class. He drew significant flip interest from Colorado and Ohio State, among others, earlier this year following his Michigan State pledge in February. At 6-foot-2, 195 pounds with a big arm and pocket mobility, Coffman could garner renewed attention as a high-upside, developmental quarterback if he chooses to reopen his recruitment upon Smith's exit.

DE Fameitau Siale, No. 55 defensive end: Smith maintained his recruiting roots in the Pacific Northwest after leaving Oregon State and returned to that pipeline to land Siale -- the state of Washington's fourth-ranked 2026 prospect -- in June. With elite length at 6-foot-4, 260 pounds, Siale will offer significant potential wherever he eventually arrives at the next level. June runners-up Washington, along with fellow contender Arizona State and Cal, could soon reignite their interest in Siale, one of the West Coast's most dominant defensive line talents in the 2026 class.

WR Samson Gash, No. 80 wide receiver: One of three in-state pledges at the time of Smith's firing, local prospects like Gash will be key for Michigan State's next head coach to retain. The son of former Penn State and NFL fullback Sam Gash, the younger Gash has been a productive playmaker at Michigan's Detroit Catholic Central High School and projects as the sort of under-the-radar talent the Spartans have built their program around in the past. Gash drew late interest from Alabama, Iowa and West Virginia before committing to Michigan State in June, and it would be no surprise if those programs (or others) came back around for the speedy receiver from Northville, Michigan. -- Eli Lederman