New Oregon State head coach takes cheap shot at Jonathan Smith

Jonathan Smith left Oregon State for a better job at Michigan State and yet the new Beavers head coach is taking shots.

Any time a new head coach takes over a football program, he does his best to try and unite the fanbase. So when Jonathan Smith left Oregon State for a better job with more resources at Michigan State, that’s exactly what Trent Bray did.

Unfortunately, it came off as a cheap shot at his former boss.

Trent Bray says Jonathan Smith’s departure to Michigan State “didn’t sit quite right with me.”

— Carter Bahns (@carterbahns) November 29, 2023

Corey Robinson of Michigan State’s 247Sports site brought up a good point: how could he possibly think this when he was getting set to join Smith in East Lansing if he wasn’t hired as Oregon State’s next head coach?

The answer? He probably doesn’t think this.

When you take over after a head coach leaves for a better job with more money, you have to find a way to pick the fanbase back up. Oregon State fans have been struggling since the Smith departure. They’ve been throwing jabs at Smith for leaving after the Oregon loss, they’ve been calling him every name in the book, and they’ve been adamant that they could do better. Which is wild because Smith was the only reason the program was relevant in the first place. That’s neither here nor there.

So Bray decided to hit the fanbase with a “didn’t sit quite right with me” quote regarding Smith’s departure. He failed to mention that he was in line to be Smith’s defensive coordinator in East Lansing and that almost happened.

This quote is a bit disingenuous.

Of all people, another head coach should know that what Smith did was a smart move. He took a job in a better conference that paid more and had a richer history with more resources. It was a no-brainer. It’s going to set his family up for life. So when Bray took this blatant shot at Smith, it comes off as a bad look and I’m sure the two are close friends so it’s even weirder to pile on what the disgruntled Oregon State fanbase has already said.

Maybe Bray will change his tune if he’s offered a better job in a few years.