Sports

MSU, aware of Smith suitors, tacked on 7th year

Published

12 months ago

November 29, 2023

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Associated Press

Nov 28, 2023, 04:10 PM ET

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State had enough competition from Power 5 college football teams also hoping to hire Jonathan Smith that it added a seventh year to his contract, helping a shaken program land the former Oregon State coach.

“I was nervous a couple weeks ago because there were jobs that were talking about being open — and there were jobs that were open — that were looking at him,” athletic director Alan Haller said Tuesday, adding that Smith will make $7.25 million in his first season. “I had to step up my pursuit.”

The Spartans had a lot at stake to get it right.

They’re coming off a 4-8 season stunted by news that led to Mel Tucker being fired and entering a year with the Big Ten expanding to include Oregon, Washington, USC and UCLA from the Pac-12.

“There’s no other Big Ten coach that is going to have that jumpstart on those four schools,” said Haller, who interviewed 12 coaching candidates at least once.

Smith will need all the help he can get because Michigan State has had only one winning season in four years.

The program’s history is marked by inconsistency, showing it can win 36 games and two conference titles in a three-year span as former coach Mark Dantonio did, and yet failing to sustain success in any decade since joining the Big Ten in 1953.

“A lot of us in this room understand, this is going to take some work,” Smith said at his introductory news conference at the Breslin Center. “I am definitely excited and up for the challenge — and the opportunity.”

Smith is scheduled to get a $100,000 raise in each year of his contract, getting $7.85 million for his seventh season in 2030.

This will not be Smith’s first shot at turning around a team, and the Spartans who stay and those who choose to come will hear his mantra, “low ego, high output,” early and often.

Oregon State was winless in conference play and had only one victory the year before it brought Smith back to campus.

“The place was not having a ton of success, had some turmoil,” he said.

The Beavers were 2-10 in 2018 during Smith’s first season and improved enough under him to win 25 games over the last three seasons of his six-year stay. He won 10 games last season, sharing Pac-12 Coach of the Year honors, and finished with a 34-35 record over six seasons at his alma mater.

Smith, 44, was born in Pasadena, California, a mile from the Rose Bowl. He went to Oregon State as a walk-on and became a two-year captain and starting quarterback for Mike Riley and Dennis Erickson, coaches he worked for at the school as a graduate assistant.

Smith coached quarterbacks at Idaho, Montana and Boise State, where he worked with Chris Petersen and left with him to call plays as Petersen’s offensive coordinator at Washington.

“I like that he’s a regular guy,” Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo said. “I like that he was a walk-on, who has been through the process, starting as a grad assistant. It reminds me of myself.”

During Smith’s first 48 hours at Michigan State, he had dinner with Izzo and spent time with the last coach to turn the football program around.

Dantonio inherited a team in 2019, coming off three losing seasons under John L. Smith, and surpassed Duffy Daugherty as the school’s all-time winningest coach while winning three Big Ten titles from 2007 to 2019.

“I had an opportunity to sit down with Coach Smith for an hour and I was impressed,” Dantonio said. “He’s got a good plan moving forward and you can tell he’s a meticulous person who can carry out his plan because he’s done it before.”

Sports

Ball State fires Neu amid another losing season

Published

3 hours ago

November 16, 2024

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Ball State fires Neu amid another losing season

Pete Thamel, ESPNNov 16, 2024, 07:50 AM ET
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Ball State fired coach Mike Neu, the school announced Saturday. The Cardinals are 3-7.

Neu was 40-63 in nine seasons at Ball State. Neu led the Cardinals to the MAC title in 2020, which was his only winning season at Ball State.

Sources told ESPN that the staff was informed of Neu’s dismissal early Saturday.

Offensive line coach Colin Johnson will serve as the interim head coach for the last two games, athletic director Jeff Mitchell said in a statement. Ball State hosts Bowling Green on Nov. 23 then plays at Ohio on Nov. 29.

Neu, 53, is a beloved alum with a strong campus reputation, but the lack of results ultimately led to his dismissal. Ball State lost 51-48 in overtime at Buffalo this week and fell to 2-4 in MAC play.

That clinched a fourth consecutive losing season for Ball State.

“Coach Neu has poured his heart into the Ball State football program,” Mitchell said in the statement. “I commend him for his professionalism and the positive team culture he has constructed. His efforts have greatly impacted the lives of hundreds of young men. He has represented the Ball State brand with integrity and class, and I wish him well in future pursuits.”

Neu led Ball State to two bowl games. That included a win over San Jose State in the Arizona Bowl to conclude the 2020 season, when Ball State finished 7-1 and won its first MAC title since 1996.

Sports

Pitt QB Holstein out; Yarnell starts vs. Clemson

Published

3 hours ago

November 16, 2024

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Pitt QB Holstein out; Yarnell starts vs. Clemson

Pete Thamel, ESPNNov 16, 2024, 09:27 AM ET
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Pittsburgh quarterback Eli Holstein will not play against No. 20 Clemson on Saturday, with redshirt junior Nate Yarnell getting the start for the Panthers.

Holstein hadn’t been cleared medically, sources said, and was considered a game-time decision by coach Pat Narduzzi after leaving two of Pitt’s past three games following apparent head injuries. Holstein took part in warmups Saturday.

Yarnell, who lost a camp battle to Holstein, will make his first start this season and fourth in his career for the Panthers. He has a 2-1 record as a starter, with wins over Western Michigan (2022) and Boston College (2023) and a loss to Duke (2023).

Yarnell has a strong amount of experience for a backup, as he has thrown for 1,104 yards and 10 touchdowns in his career. That includes a 65.3% completion percentage and an average of 8.9 yards per attempt. This season, he has thrown for five touchdowns and two interceptions while playing in the past three games.

Holstein has been a revelatory player for the Panthers under new offensive coordinator Kade Bell. Holstein, a transfer from Alabama, has thrown for 17 touchdowns with six interceptions.

Pittsburgh has the country’s No. 16 scoring offense at 36.7 points per game. That’s up from No. 114 last season, when it averaged 20.2 points.

Holstein has completed 61.9% of his passes and thrown for 2,174 yards.

Sports

10-0 Indiana gives Cignetti new 8-year contract

Published

3 hours ago

November 16, 2024

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10-0 Indiana gives Cignetti new 8-year contract

ESPN News Services

Nov 16, 2024, 08:00 AM ET

Indiana has agreed to a contract extension with Curt Cignetti amid the Hoosiers’ unprecedented 10-0 start, the school announced Saturday.

Cignetti’s new eight-year contract runs through the 2032 season and will pay him an average of $8 million per year with an annual $1 million retention bonus, putting the total value of the new contract at $72 million.

“I am beyond appreciative for the tremendous commitment, confidence, and support from President Pam Whitten and Athletic Director Scott Dolson,” Cignetti said in a statement. “Manette [his wife] and I love Bloomington and are grateful for how the IU community has embraced us. I look forward to leading this outstanding program and doing my part to continue the momentum for Hoosier football.”

Cignetti originally received a six-year, $27 million contract when he was hired in December. He took the Indiana job after leading James Madison to an 11-1 season in 2023 — when he made $677,311 — with the goal of changing the Hoosiers’ historically woeful image in football.

He then led Indiana to the first 10-win season in school history and a possible push for the College Football Playoff. No. 5 Indiana (10-0, 7-0 Big Ten) has one more win than its combined total over the previous three seasons. Its No. 5 ranking is one spot shy of the team’s highest ever, last reached in 1967, also the last time the Hoosiers won or shared a Big Ten title.

Indiana has scored at least 40 points seven times, won nine times by 14 or more points and trailed only twice briefly all season.

“We were confident IU could become a winning program and we love what he’s building here,” Dolson said in a statement. “We love the student-athletes that he’s bringing here. We love how our fanbase has rallied around this team and made Memorial Stadium the place to be on Saturday afternoons. And now, we love the fact that he’s going to be doing all those things right here in Bloomington for a long, long time.”

A source told ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg that Indiana will also significantly increase the pool for Cignetti’s assistants and staff.

The Hoosiers are on a bye this week before a pivotal matchup with No. 2 Ohio State next Saturday that could determine Indiana’s playoff hopes and a potential spot in the Big Ten championship game.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.