Oregon State hires Washington OC Jonathan Smith as head coach
Oregon State has found its replacement for Gary Andersen.
The school announced Wednesday it has selected Jonathan Smith, the offensive coordinator at Washington, to be its new head coach.
“We are very excited about having Coach Smith lead our program,” athletic director Scott Barnes said. “We interviewed several qualified candidates and Coach Smith emerged as our top choice. He brings to Oregon State football an impressive plan to build our program. He has a unique perspective on what it means to be a part of Beaver Nation and to be successful for our student-athletes on and off the field.”
Yahoo Sports’ Pete Thamel is reporting that Smith agreed to a five-year deal.
Jonathan Smith to Oregon State as the next head coach has been finalized. He just signed a 5-year deal. (Oregonian and others reported earlier).
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) November 29, 2017
Smith played quarterback for the Beavers from 1998-2001 and was a four-year starter. In 2000, Smith led the Beavers to an 11-1 record, a Pac-10 title and an appearance in the Fiesta Bowl. For his career, he threw for 9,680 yards, 55 touchdowns and 29 interceptions. His yards and touchdowns are third-most in program history. After his eligibility expired, Smith spent two seasons at OSU as a graduate assistant.
After his time at Oregon State, Smith had stints as an assistant at Idaho, Montana and Boise State before following Chris Petersen from Boise State to Washington. With the Huskies, Smith has been the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for four seasons, sharing OC duties this year.
“I want to thank President Ray and Scott Barnes for their confidence in presenting me this opportunity to return to Oregon State University to be the head coach,” Smith said. “I also want to express my gratitude to Coach (Chris) Petersen for providing me a path to realize my dream as a head coach.
“Oregon State University is a special place and I have many memories of being a part of Beaver Nation. I played for some of the best coaches I have ever been around and learned many of the qualities I have utilized in my coaching career.”
Smith replaces Andersen, whose tenure at OSU lasted just 30 games. Andersen accepted the OSU job after abruptly leaving Wisconsin. He did the same in Corvallis, stepping down seemingly out of nowhere after the team’s 1-5 start. His overall record at Oregon State was 7-23 with a 3-18 mark in conference play.
As part of Andersen’s agreement to part ways with the school, the two sides “mutually agreed to release each other from all future contract obligations and payments,” meaning Oregon State does not have to pay out Andersen’s contract, which was guaranteed through the 2021 season.
After Andersen’s departure, the Beavers finished the season with a 1-11 record.
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Sam Cooper is a writer for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
