Nov 29, 2024; Athens, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head coach Brent Key before a game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Does Spartans' AD Hire Mean Potential for New Football Coach?

Originally posted on Michigan State Spartans on SI
By Tom Cavanaugh | Last updated Jun 2, 2025 10:03 AM ET

There is no inkling that Michigan State head coach Jonathan Smith's job is in jeopardy, but there is a potential future scenario that could be on the horizon with the hiring of the school's newest athletic director.

The Spartan athletic program has hired former Georgia Tech athletic director J Batt, as announced by the university on Monday. With the new addition, Batt may not be the only member of Yellow Jacket athletics to make a move to East Lansing.

Current Georgia Tech head football coach Brent Key is entering his third full season at the helm after assuming interim head coaching duties in 2022. He helped lead the Yellow Jackets to back-to-back seven-win seasons and nearly upset rival Georgia, ranked seventh in the nation at the time, in eight overtimes at the end of last year.

Key is going to be a highly coveted head coach in the future as he is off to an impressive start to his head coaching career. After 21 seasons as an assistant across four different universities, Key has taken advantage of the opportunity he was given by Key just a few years ago.

Nobody is begging for Smith to be fired and have Key take the position, but if the Spartans continue on the track that they have been on for the past several seasons, it would make sense that Batt and the rest of the program would be looking for a change. MSU football requires more success.

Some athletic directors are particular about the personnel that they hire, and if someone that was hired on prior to their tenure with the program, a change is sometimes made. A guy like Tom Izzo does not meet the criteria, but a much less proven head coach in Smith may be more likely to fall into that.

Things are going to be different in East Lansing going forward, and perhaps for the better. If it comes to a point where Batt is forced to make a decision on the head coaching fate of the Spartans, Key will be a very likely candidate for the position. It is a waiting game now to see how Michigan State fares over the next few years.