When Oregon State second-year head coach Jonathan Smith stepped on campus as the leader of the football program November 29, 2017, his immediate goals were to create a culture, lay a foundation, and set overall expectations for the young men in the program.
By all accounts, Coach Smith has achieved those goals with impressive results considering a school record 23 student-athletes made the 2018 Pac-12 Conference Academic Team, the overall GPA continues on an upward track of 3.00-plus and a new level of expectations have been established.
On the field in his first season, the team was among the most productive in the Pac-12 for several offensive categories, won on the road for the first time since 2014 and saw true freshman Jermar Jefferson set school records for rushing on his way to All-American and Pac-12 Offensive Freshman Player of the Year accolades. In addition, receiver Timmy Hernandez secured the program’s first Academic All-America honor since 1999..
hen OSU Vice President and Director of Athletics Scott Barnes officially introduced Smith, the first OSU graduate to ever lead the football program, he highlighted the former Beaver quarterback’s legacy in Corvallis.
“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,” Barnes confirmed.
As a student-athlete, Smith was a four-year letterman quarterback at Oregon State from 1998-2001. He came to the program as a walk-on from Glendora, Calif., joining than head coach and OSU’s all-time winningest mentor Mike Riley. Smith earned his first start on Oct. 31, 1998 and never relinquished that role for the final 38 games of his career. The two-time team captain led the Beavers to the 1999 Oahu Bowl and the 2001 Fiesta Bowl, where OSU capped an 11-1 season with a dominating 41-9 victory over Notre Dame and a No. 4 final Associated Press ranking.
“Oregon State University is a special place and I have many memories of being a part of Beaver Nation,” Smith said. “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 left OSU as the school’s all-time leading passer with 9,680 yards -- he now ranks third among all Beaver quarterbacks in total passing yardage. At the time of his graduation his records included career touchdown passes (55); single-game passing yards (469 yards); and single-season passing yards (3,053 yards in 1999). He still holds the mark for the longest touchdown pass at 97 yards to Chad Johnson in 2000. Smith left OSU ranked No. 3 at the time in conference history for passing yards and total offense.
His honors as a player were numerous while wearing the Orange and Black. He was the Fiesta Bowl Offensive Most Valuable Player, earned Pac-10 Conference Offensive Player of the Week multiple times and was a two-time member of the league’s honorable mention team.
Smith’s coaching career started, in many respects as a player, but officially as a graduate assistant coach in 2002 and 2003 under both Dennis Erickson and Riley, respectively. He helped the Beavers to the 2002 Insight Bowl and 2003 Vegas Bowls, and in the process assisted in the grooming of longtime NFL quarterback Derek Anderson.
Prior to returning to Oregon State, Smith served as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Washington Huskies, a program that he helped build into a conference and national championship contender. During his tenure he coached Husky record-setting quarterback and 2016 Pac-12 Player of the Year Jake Browning, and helped the Huskies to the 2016 College Football Playoff and the 2017 Fiesta Bowl.
The 40-year-old Smith earned his first full-time coaching position at Idaho in 2004, where he served as the quarterbacks coach through 2009. In his final season with the Vandals, the team ranked ninth in the NCAA for total offense (451.4 yards per game); 12th in the nation for passing offense (286.7 yards per game); and 20th in scoring (32.7 points per game).
From 2010-11, he was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) powerhouse Montana, leading the Grizzlies to the NCAA Division I semifinals in 2011. While Smith was at Montana, the Grizzlies’ offense ranked in the top 20 nationally in multiple categories.
Smith joined Boise State for the 2012 and 2013 seasons as the Broncos’ quarterbacks coach. He helped guide the team to the 2012 Mountain West Conference co-championship and to a victory over the Washington Huskies in the Las Vegas Bowl.
Following the 2013 regular season at Boise State, Smith followed head coach Chris Petersen to Washington to serve as the Huskies’ offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
A three-year starting quarterback at Glendora (Calif.) High, Smith graduated from high school in 1997 and earned his bachelor's degree in liberal studies from Oregon State in December, 2001.
He and his wife, Candice, have three children, Robert (10 years old), Bella (8) and Charles (4).
COACHING HISTORY
2017-18 -- Oregon State -- Head Coach
2014-2017 – Washington – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
2012-2013 – Boise State – Quarterbacks
2010-2011 – Montana – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
2004-2009 – Idaho – Quarterbacks
2002-2003 – Oregon State – Graduate Assistant
BOWL TEAMS
2017 – Fiesta
2016 – Peach/College Football Playoff
2015 – Heart of Dallas
2014 – Cactus
2013 – Hawai’i
2012 – Las Vegas
2003 – Las Vegas
2002 – Insight
2000 – Fiesta/Bowl Championship Series*
1999 – O’ahu*
*-as a player
What They Said About Jonathan Smith's Hiring (Nov. 29, 2017)
"The one thing that gives me the most confidence is that since the first time I met Jonathan, that's all he's ever wanted to do; coach the game. Obviously, he's an intelligent man; he could have done anything with his life. He didn't even pursue his own athletic career because that's what he knew from the start he wanted to do. I'm very excited to have a man with that kind of focus coming back to lead our program. This is something he has been preparing for, for a very long time. I'm excited to see him move up the ranks and get this opportunity."
OSU record-setting running back Ken Simonton
"This is a tremendous move by Oregon State, not only for the players who are going to play for him, but also for the community. He's a true Beaver. He has moved up the coaching ranks and really deserves this opportunity. You know it's a win-win and I'm so excited for Jonathan."
Former Oregon State and NCAA champion head football coach Dennis Erickson.
"I'm very excited what he can bring to the program. He's a young guy who has been there and knows how to get it done, and has been successful at other schools. He's become a great coach and I think he'll be a great leader for our school."
NFL veteran and OSU record-setting quarterback Derek Anderson
"What makes me happy about this hire are two things. Number one, he's a player who competed at Oregon State and who cares about the university. But on the flip side, he was a player at Oregon State when we were at an all-time high. He knows what it takes to get there because he was there, he did it, and he was a part of it."
NFL Veteran wide receiver and Fiesta Bowl champion T.J. Houshmandzadeh
"What has always stood out to me about Jonathan is his competitiveness and his love of football. He was a great player for Oregon State and obviously what he has done as a coach speaks for itself. He loves Oregon State and I think he's a great fit for the Beavers."
Former OSU Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach and current Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst
'I'm very happy for Coach Smith and his family. Jonathan is an excellent football coach and an outstanding person, and I'm confident he will have a lot of success at Oregon State,"
Washington head coach Chris Petersen
"An incredible hire for Oregon State and I'm very happy for Jonathan. When I joined the Oregon State staff I could tell right away that Jonathan Smith was going to be a head coach. A great leader; someone who thrives under pressure; an overall terrific field general. He's going to be a great head coach, it's something he has always wanted to do, and Oregon State made a terrific choice."
Former Oregon State assistant coach and current Los Angeles Rams' receivers coach Eric Yarber
"First of all, I was one of the fortunate ones to see him play here, going from a walk-on to a superstar, leading our football program to one of the greatest years in the history of our team. Jonathan will be an absolute rock star as a head football coach. He will give us the energy, the excitement, the competitiveness, all those things. If I had to say one thing about him, is that he is a competitor. Everything I've witnessed him do, first as a student-athlete here, and then during his coaching career, is not surprising because I know what kind of competitor he is. Not to mention the fact he is a first-class human being, and a quality family man. When I talked to him, one thing he said to me is how important the community would be to him and his family."
Oregon State baseball head coach Pat Casey
"This is an exciting time for Beaver Nation having one of its own come back to lead our football program moving forward. I spent a couple of years with Jonathan at the University of Montana and found him to be a class act, a hard worker and a sharp football mind."
Oregon State basketball head coach Wayne Tinkle
