It's official. Oregon State has hired Jonathan Smith as the next head coach of the Beavers' football program. What is OSU getting in their former Fiesta Bowl MVP quarterback? BeaversEdge.com takes a look below.
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1. He's a Beaver. Smith was a Mike Riley recruit but began as just a walk on. Smith played in six games in Riley's (first) last season at Oregon State in 1998. The following year, Smith flourished under new head coach Dennis Erickson, throwing for 3,053 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions. Smith was the MVP of the 2001 Fiesta Bowl in which he threw for 305 yards and three touchdowns. His 9,680 passing yards ranks No. 3 in Oregon State history. He's a Beaver through and through.
2. He's young. I think it was a great move by Scott Barnes to get a young coach. Smith might not have the most outgoing personality, but he will bring energy to the team, on the recruiting front, and in the Valley Football Center. I have nothing against older coaches, but Oregon State just needed to go in a direction that was opposite of Gary Andersen.
3. He knows the Pacific Northwest. Not only because of his time at Oregon State, but his time at Boise State and obviously Washington too. This will help greatly in recrutiing right away as Smith already knows the 2018 recruits that Oregon State can get. Since he's been in the mix for this job for so long, there's no doubt that he's coming in with a plan to salvage the 2018 class.
OFFICIAL! Smith to Oregon State: Press Release | 5 thoughts about Smith | UW writer Q&A about Smith | Column on the hire | Twitter reaction
4. He's offensive minded. Again, going back to my thought that Oregon State needed to bring in the opposite of Gary Andersen. Smith also coached quarterbacks in addition to being the offensive coordinator at Boise State and Washington. Oregon State needs to vastly improve their offense, and the addition of Smith will help the passing game. Smith helped Jake Browning become a Heisman contender in 2016.
5. It's finally over. I remember talking on the BeaversEdge Podcast the day of Gary Andersen's departure, and my favorite two candidates were Beau Baldwin and Jonathan Smith. I also really liked Bronco Mendenhall and Jim McElwain among others. Many Beaver fans were not initially excited as Smith as a candidate, citing that he's not ready for the job yet, and many fans didn't want to settle for the "hero" hire, but I think Smith's resume is certainly good enough for the job. Top tier choice? No. But respectable and one that has a very high ceiling? Absolutely. And also, the coaching search is FINALLY over after 52 days. Rejoice!
