Jonathan Smith just outside of top 25 in Power 4 head coach rankings

First-year Michigan State football coach Jonathan Smith is just outside the top 25 in CBS Sports’ head coach rankings.

Everyone loves some good offseason rankings, right? Surely Michigan State football fans will be happy with the amount of respect Jonathan Smith and the Spartans are getting on a national level.

Just last week, Tom Fornelli of CBS Sports released his Power Four head coaching rankings ahead of the 2024 season. There were some surprises on the list (which is Nos. 26-68 with the top 25 coming later) but none was more pleasant than Smith’s ranking.

Scrolling down the list quite a bit, it was clear that Fornelli thinks very highly of Smith. I had to scroll past the likes of Deion Sanders, Sherrone Moore, Mike Locksley, Greg Schiano, PJ Fleck, Pat Narduzzi, Mack Brown, Bret Bielema, Brent Venables, Hugh Freeze, Mike Elko, Jedd Fisch, Matt Rhule, and Gus Malzahn just to see where Smith was listed. And that alone shows just how much respect Smith garners nationally.

Coming in at No. 27 on Fornelli’s list was Michigan State’s new head ball coach.

Fornelli had this to say:

I would argue that our annual coach rankings were ahead of the curve on Smith; he’s done well here on an annual basis. Now that Smith has landed a Big Ten job at Michigan State, his profile will likely rise further. Considering the total roster overhaul that’s taken place in East Lansing this offseason, I don’t know how expectations should be set this season, but Smith’s track record suggests Sparty will be happy with its decision in the long run.

The annual list is usually high on Smith, but this year’s version boosted him up five spots from 2023 where he was ranked No. 32. Not too shabby of a hire, right? It seems like Alan Haller knocked this one out of the park.

Jonathan Smith is known for rebuilding Oregon State which was not an easy task and Fornelli believes that his profile will only improve in the Big Ten with Michigan State. If he can turn the Spartans around in a couple of years like he’s capable of doing, he’s going to not only be in the top 25 on a list like this, but he could be flirting with the top 10-15 range.

I’d be shocked if he wasn’t top 25 next year.