Jonathan Smith is officially heading to East Lansing! Early Saturday, Michigan State confirmed the hiring of the former Oregon State head coach to lead the Spartans for 2024 and beyond.

As the dust begins to settle, Smith will turn his attention to rounding out his staff in East Lansing, but he issued a statement to the Spartan community Saturday evening. Among other things, Smith cited his excitement to lead the program and said there would be no shortcuts in the pursuit of sustained success.

Here is Smith’s statement:

“My family and I are excited to join the Michigan State football family. I’m thankful to Alan Haller and the university leadership for entrusting me to lead a Spartan football program which possesses both an excellent tradition and all the resources needed to compete at the highest level in college football today. There are no shortcuts, and we will be a program that’s willing to do the work required to experience sustained success.”

Smith went 34-35 during his tenure at Oregon State but produced 3 straight winning seasons for the Beavers since the start of the 2021 season. This will be Smith’s first stint in the Midwest after playing at Oregon State and spending the majority of his coaching career on the West Coast.