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EAST LANSING — Michigan State hired Jonathan Smith to revive its football program. It’ll hire someone else to finish the job.

Michigan State fired Smith Sunday, according to a source close to the matter. Smith, 46, posted a 9-15 record, 4-14 in Big Ten play during his 24-game tenure with the Spartans. Five of those wins in the 2024 season were vacated by NCAA sanctions for playing ineligible players. Smith signed a seven-year, $52.85 million contract in November 2023, carrying with it an 85% buyout. That value comes to $33,553,750 as of Dec. 1, 2025, to be paid monthly through the duration of his contract term into 2030.

Reputed as a program builder, Smith came to Michigan State after reviving his alma mater, Oregon State, over the course of

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