Michigan State football: Assistant coaching search has interesting development

An interesting development has taken place in the potential assistant coaching search for Michigan State football.

One of the biggest question marks many have been asking since this afternoon’s official hiring of Jonathan Smith as Michigan State football coach has been one surrounding the coordinator roles. It was reported that Smith will be getting a larger assistant salary pool than Mel Tucker had. This comes with a lot of speculation of who Smith would bring with him, or bring in for these positions. One of the most popular coordinator names being thrown around has been Oregon State defensive coordinator Trent Bray.

That hire, which would be an ideal choice, just got a little bit more real, and here’s why.

Nick Daschel of The Oregonian reported on Saturday night that the Beavers are promoting wide receivers coach Kefense Hynson to interim head coach for the Beavers bowl game, and time in between. Hynson has an impressive resume and is well-liked among the Beaver faithful, but the obvious choice to a lot of people would have been defensive coordinator Trent Bray. Let me preface by saying nothing has been officially reported about Bray or any coordinators that may join Smith in East Lansing, but it is easy to draw lines here.

The 41-year-old who, like Jonathan Smith, played at Oregon State has an impressive resume himself and is well-regarded in the coaching world. Big Ten fans may remember Bray from his time at Nebraska from 2015-2017, where he was named interim head coach following Nebraska’s firing of Mike Riley in 2017.

Bray has been described as a “high-energy coach” by former players. He likes playing fast and is known for allowing his players to be aggressive. This is a style of coaching that has a history of success in East Lansing and also matches Smith’s style.

Another angle you can take with this announcement from Oregon State is that Smith will also need a receiver coach to join him sooner, rather than later in East Lansing. This could bode well for the Courtney Hawkins fans like myself being retained to Smith’s offensive staff. Hawkins has been reported as a big priority by many, including four-star 2024 commit Nick Marsh. Hawkins would help retain current players, whom he recruited and has worked with, as well as help Smith in the transition period.

Whether or not we do see Bray in East Lansing eventually, this is an interesting development in Corvallis, and if you subscribe to reading the tea leaves, you might be willing to draw a tentative conclusion with this news.