CANZANO: Jonathan Smith's poor treatment of Oregon State on his way out the door leaves a bad taste

[@bluegoggles8822]

The moment I listened to the interview with Smith boasting about his million dollar agent "better be always finding big things" my respect level dropped. The timing of telling players, being in EL the next day after the Oregon game, questions rose whether he was fully invested in OSU the previous several weeks who had a legitimate shot for conference title. Smith left to find a better place in his view. That's fine. If he was an MSU alum it would even make better sense. However, he's an OSU alum and that's why it's painful to see how things ended. People like to say "he left a sinking ship". Maybe it is and maybe it isn't. But, a captain doesn't take the first lifeboat off. This is the difference between his leadership skills versus being a great leader. He is not a great leader.

[@fredvann5213]

Canzano give me a break. His opportunity is so much better at MSU. He got offered a significant pay increase. It is an upward mobility move. You would be doing exactly the same thing.

[@zachmillang2903]

You're missing the point. We don't blame him for leaving, but he handled it terribly.@@fredvann5213

[@commonprophet]

Smith is a snake. Most coaches are always going to look out for themselves but you nailed it JC. The Beavs were his school. They were his only offer to play QB and then to head coach. By all means leave when you see fit but don't torch (ESPECIALLY YOUR SCHOOL) the place on the way out. Sabotaging the Civil War not playing AC.. Goodwill GEAR. Admitting he was thinking about MSU for a while during the season. ALL adds up to being a snake. Karma is undefeated.

[@thejfactor1]

There’s nothing wrong with Smith leaving, EXCEPT telling his players he was leaving the day before the biggest game of the year. This was confirmed by linebacker Makiya Tongue. Smith is a rat.

[@brentkellner5107]

How about fulfilling a contract you sign? Coaches no better than sleaziest of politicians.

[@davidhopkins1199]

I don’t begrudge JS for leaving, but I hate the way he did it. Totally classless!

[@mollkatless]

Yes but, it is just Oregon State - football siberia, so no one really cares. Sorry

[@gsithdogowns]

I think you have to be careful to accuse Smith of ill treatment of Oregon State. Think of his position, he probably really wanted to grow there, but felt betrayed by the negligence and inability to flex with the conference reshaping. I don’t think he left out of arrogance, but from a place offeeling like the ground caved in beneath him. I don’t blame him for wanting to wash his hands and move on quickly.

[@amhombre531]

You had Jonathan Smith on your show. Believe he mentioned he had an agent. Once it was learned he was spending a bunch of money on an agent, it wasn’t hard to figure out he was looking for another job. The coaches who stayed, and others coming in to replace the ones that left with Smith are working diligently, and will do a fine job. If you want to vent, there’s a school in Eugene and one in Seattle that took the money and ran off to the “Big 10,” which helped precipitate the collapse of the conference down to the PAC -2. That , whether Smith will publicly admit it or not , had a lot to do with him leaving along with several key players via the portal.

[@cjcurtis8944]

UCLA, USC, and COLO blew it up UO and UW just saved themselves.

[@alumniduck]

Smith saw the writing on the wall. The pac12 is done. From now on Oregon state is going to be relegated to second tier football and will be fighting for any respect or relevance. Recruiting for Oregon state always has been tough. and now it is going to be a lot more difficult. Now Smith gets the reigns of a college football team that has a lot of winning history, he gets money, respect, and a recruiting path that is much easier. Smith gets to show the world what he can do on a national stage. It is a no brainer for him to make such a move. Furthermore, Smith paid his dues and fulfilled his job duties at Oregon State as both a player and a coach and went above and beyond. You should be thanking him for that, not throwing him under the bus for taking a rare golden opportunity.

[@JO-kp6lk]

And now, 11 months later, he keeps on taking players from Oregon State. What a guy.

[@jeffreykysor644]

Well said. I hope things don't work out for him or Aiden Chiles or Jack Velling at that Green school in a different state.

[@ulical]

Come on John, you've had a guy just like that sitting in front of you for well over a decade. His name? Kyle Whittingham.

[@ericwalters3426]

Its unfortunate, because had this whole re alignment thing not.happened, i dont think he would have left. I feel bad for the beavs, they have gotten a rotten.deal. didnt the wsu coach stay there?

[@nealerickson8063]

John great piece! I think you nailed this topic. Beaver grad and fan here. I wish him well. Maybe he didn't dump his gear at GW. Maybe that was accident. But, the truth for sure is he left a good job for a way tougher job. In my view, he was a good coach. But not great. 8-4 is not great. But I was glad to have him. I hope he becomes great. 8-4 at MSU is no given and it certainly isn't great. 40ish year old coaches given you energy and enthusiasm in general. But they often lack intelligence (full wisdom) and I think that was on display here. Dennis Erickson and Mike Riley both thought Oregon State was a good job, maybe even great. Two things they def have in common. Both coached JS and both were intelligent. Sad that JS couldn't see what they both thought about his old seat. No hate here. Good luck to JS in the mid-west. Looking forward Beavs future and never count out a school that can boast to have an alum who is leading the future of the business world in the A.I. space. Just wished JS had leaned more on O.I.(organic intelligence) in his choice.

[@TheOceanMan-xc7qp]

Kinda shocked...blown away by his crappy behavior

[@kennyr3751]

Don't worry.....nobody south of Salem listens to, or cares about what Canzano has to say. 🤣

[@gmantubs]

lol using Pac-12 and "major conference" in the same sentence is wild lol

[@Kim-ek2mt]

It should have never got out until after the Civil War game

[@JO-kp6lk]

You were dead on in your analysis, John. In Smith's own, often used words, "No Question".

[@LarryHochstatter]

The Sun Bowl was Smith’s final🖕to Oregon State.

[@BeaverInTheSun]

🐍🐍🐍

[@702cadi]

When the pack 12 is broken up than this becomes moving

[@hawaiifatcatsfigaromccool3043]

Weak arguments! OSU athletic department didn’t do enough to promote football and put out a product another conference would want.

[@HMbeav8404]

Facts

[@jameshopkins6853]

I am really disappointed with Johathan. I had a tremendous amount of respect for him. Then putting it together Chiles not playing makes sense now that you've said it. I thought odd at the time. Some of the interviews he's done also reflect that he was out months ago mentally. That's why they lost to UW and U of O... he wasn't laser focused. The way Johnathan talked about Corvallis being the greatest place to raise his family. East Lansing similar small college town, but he wasn't the QB for MSU. Just disappointing!

[@purpleurkle3615]

Dan Lanning.

[@msg5969]

John your correct & it’s all about me me me & greed n fame What have you done for me lately goes out the window with no loyalty what so ever probably have a conversation about Smitty in four years or so with his next gig , not Corvallis . Greatest failure of all men is thinking about yourself and saying it’s all about his family & how it just felt right Heard that one before Greed will bite you back in a big way .

[@andrae2886]

Canzano: If your job that gave you a 1st opportunity faced a uncertain future. But you were offered another one with a stable future, greater opportunities and about 40%+ raise, I would really like to see you reject it and tell them no because it wouldn’t be fair to your co-workers and that your’re going to be loyal because it’s the right thing to do….😂

[@rbj.photography]

Amen brother. He just sounds like a child that is having a temper tantrum. What lazy reporting! Leaving the gear at the local goodwill gives Oregon fans in that an opportunity to buy some really good gear on the low. It's better than him burning the clothes. Plus, you make it sound like he should never leave for a better opportunity because his alma mater gave him an opportunity. If Jonathan were to have 3 mediocre seasons in a row guess what, OSU would fire him. You sound silly as hell crying over spilled milk. Just a very lazy and immature hit piece you put out on Jonathan man. This is a business! Bottom line! Hell, it's America where you have the free will and right to pursue better opportunities and for more money. shame on you and the sheep that are following behind you buying this BS you are spewing! Move on and get behind your new coach.

[@steelydog0718]

Yeah, we feel jilted. Can't say I blame Smith, but yeah, it's pretty disappointing in light of the PAC 12 disintegrating and the reality that we're headed to second tierdom.

[@jeh58]

I can & I do blame smith. He can kiss my lower posterior.

[@rickolson-51]

You can't say that it's ok for a player to leave to better position himself and not give a coach the same leeway... this happens at every level of business and yes Football is a business.

[@MinkJu]

There's a difference. Chiles, being a player for one year, doesn't really owe that much to Oregon State. Players transferring to follow their coach has been happening for years, well before the portal and NIL took off. In his last week as coach of the Beavers, Smith cancelled practices and film reviews, and held a pre-game team meeting to tell players that he was leaving afterwards. Not just any game, the biggest game of every year for Beavers fans, players, and alum. He totally threw the team under the bus in the Civil War. After leaving to MSU and announcing what coaches he would be taking with him, one of the coaches said he would remain at Oregon State until the bowl game, and then join Smith in Michigan. It then came out that this coach was attempting to recruit actively enrolled Beavers players to enter the portal and join him at Michigan State. He was fired and a few days later announced as DL coach at MSU. Jonathan Smith owes a ton to Oregon State. Nobody actively recruited him out of high school, he had to sell himself and walked on at Oregon State which was the only school that promised him an equal shot with the scholarship players. Nobody gave him an opportunity to be a head coach until Oregon State called him up. He called coaching at OSU his "Dream job at my dream school in my dream town." Most college football fans and former players love their alma mater, and so many coaches like Cristobal, Scott Frost, Taggart, etc. would have done anything for the chance to coach for their former schools. Smith doesn't give a shit about the Beavers, and his comments about realignment not affecting his decision speak volumes. Canzano knows it's a business, repeated that multiple times in this video. Beavers fans obviously know this too, but at the same time expect a little bit more understanding and courtesy from someone who is supposed to be one of our own. Especially in a time like this.

[@rodneyhawthorne6743]

Well..... He is from Cali....😐

[@ramspencer5492]

Umm..... I honestly don't know what you're talking about. He pretty much had to leave.... The rumors were already coming out that he was taking the Michigan State job.... The damage was already done. And he didn't want to be deceitful to his team. It was a very painful decision for him. Who wouldn't have done it?

[@j_r_junior]

Cope

[@cacogenicist]

Sparty has a higher ceiling than the Beavs in terms of resources, and obviously being in a conference that didn't disintegrate -- simple as that. ... but I don't think Smith is going to have a lot of fun for the first couple years, starting with what is sure to be a vicious thrashing in Eugene on Oct 5th

[@thejfactor1]

Sparty has a lower ceiling in terms of reaching the CFP because they have to play Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State.

[@rbj.photography]

@@thejfactor1 Wrong. The B10 is doing away with the divisions for 2024 which means the SPARTANS (not Sparty who is the mascot and doesn't play in any games) will not play OSU and PSU every year. The only game that's protected is the Michigan game.

[@chosen2030]

I totally get how Oregon State fans feel about Jonathan Smith but you can tell it was a really difficult decision for him. Can you really blame a coach that has the opportunity to jump to a program in a top 2 conference with resources far beyond what he could ever get in Corvallis? Even with that said, I strongly believe he doesn't leave Oregon State if the PAC12 had stayed intact or had they been invited to join the Big12 or ACC.

[@zachmillang2903]

Definitely seemed like an easy decision with how he left. In fact, it seemed malicious with how he handled it.

[@MickeyP-h9p]

What a bunch of sour grapes. Smith was stuck in a hick school in a collapsing conference and he was just supposed to stay to make you fools happy. Total B. S.

[@richardtaylor2361]

Players holdout off bowl games all the time in the last few years. also, here's the choice, after thought school in the big ten, or after thought school in the mountain west. WSU and OSU are now Idaho state and Colorado state. where would you go?

[@Duck-D-Koi]

He got tired of eating napkins.

[@wabisabi6313]

IF OSU had done their job as well as Smith I don't think he leaves. If OSU had not had such a terrible football program for so many years their brand would have been worth it to a major conference to get a home after the Pac 12 collapsed. Also didn't help that OSU was the main supporter of Larry Scott when many were questioning his policies and that OSU was part of the group that rejected the ESPN offer of 30M per team that would have saved the Pac 12 after USC and UCLA left.

[@TheBolo2010]

As an OSU Football Alum, you guys are delusional. Let's not forget, this is a business. if JS goes 3-9 in two consecutive seasons, he's on the heat. He was presented with a great opportunity that 90% of you would have taken especially with the uncertainty of PAC 10 (12) at that time. I was hurt that he left, but I understand. His loyalty is to his family first. Besides, OSU would never be able to match his salary. It wouldn't make business sense. Time to move on and dominate the Mountain West.

[@MinkJu]

As an OSU football alum, sounds like the CTE has got to you

[@TheBolo2010]

@@MinkJu you may be right... would you turn down that job?

[@rodneyhawthorne6743]

Oh yeah well I think his family would have been ok at 4.8 mil a year....,.... Well....maybe not. 🙄

[@MinkJu]

@@TheBolo2010 Maybe I'm just a poor who's been a member of the working class too long, but Jonathan Smith was set to make over $50 million dollars in total at the end of his OSU contract. His family was already set for multiple generations in Corvallis, and honestly I see the "family" argument in a totally different way. His kids grew up in Corvallis. His son was the starting QB at a local high school, his youngest kid only has gone to school and made friends in Corvallis. Like I said, the Smith family was already set financially for generations. This move was purely based off his own career and had nothing to do with them.

[@TheBolo2010]

Yeah , I am with you.

[@RT-xj7el]

What a bunch of whining. You are actually blaming him for taking a much better job? For much better pay in a much better conference? His old team still doesn't have a conference by the way. Easy for you to say that he had all he needed to be happy in Corvallis. Glad we all don't need your approval on life decisions. People leave jobs for better opportunities and bigger challenges all the time. Just because you don't or haven't had the opportunity, don't put that on Smith.

[@adamrobert2907]

I don't call criticizing how someone acts whining. I think Jonathan Smith did not act with integrity. He screwed over his alma mater at every turn, then actively recruited (through intermediaries) players from OSU.

[@zachmillang2903]

Missed the point by a mile.

[@richardreed6249]

I love the fans, complaining because someone left for a bigger and better job. Get used to it, because that is the life OSU will be facing

[@gmantubs]

Msu is the better program in one of the two best conferences in college football. Oregon State is one of the worst programs in a conference with two teams in it... after all Coach smith did for Oregon State it's wild that the fans and beat writers would rather dog him for leaving and blame him for their impending doom rather than thank him for the short window of success you got to enjoy and move on to being optimistic about the new staff. This is college football and until Oregon State decides to take football seriously and invest in facilities and finding a decent conference to join this is the bed you've made and now must sleep in.

[@dustin9181]

I remember Beaver fans laughing when Taggert & Mario left the Ducks, I guess it’s our turn to laugh now.

[@rodneyhawthorne6743]

A little different situation duck boy....

[@jeh58]

FTD

[@bobashley7533]

Beaver tears are the best tears…. 😂

[@rodneyhawthorne6743]

@@jeh58 can't wait to see your tears after your 5-7 in the big 10. 💪🏿

[@jeh58]

@@rodneyhawthorne6743 Rodney, what are you talking about? I'm a Beaver fan. My comment was for Dustin

[@billrhoades8926]

What's happened to college football is beyond sad, but OSU always having to blame someone for their own shortcomings gets old. When it seems like the whole world (Pac 12, Oregon Ducks, UW, Jonathan Smith, etc, etc) is out to get you, maybe the world is not the problem. This didn't happen overnight like many would like to think. OSU had months to convince Smith it was worth sticking around and the fact they were unable to do so says way more about the athletic department than it does about Smith. When alarms are going off all around you it's time to get out of bed. Unfortunately, I don't see that happening.

[@jeh58]

They did try to convince him, they had offers on his desk month ago.

[@gregm4441]

I agree totally with what you are saying about the differences in how the he will be treated at MSU as opposed to his alma mater. His gear at Goodwill means nothing. You are making it sound like he left a scorched earth. You don't know how much he kept or how much he left behind. One thing you can be certain of is, he can't wear his OSU gear anymore, anywhere. The way the media like you hound a coach, (and it's your job)... would you be happier if he lied to his players, or it was leaked from MSU and they found out that way? What I'd like you to uncover, and present is how OSU was supporting Larry Scott, and how OSU really screwed themselves, and was complicit in taking down the PAC12. I think JS had to leave, and don't blame him one bit. Would you want a coach that doesn't have CFP title ambitions? If a coach does he won't stay at OSU. I think it's very possible OSU took JS for granted to some degree, just like you are.

[@Argonhubert]

He could of 100% brought Osu to the cfp even without the conference if he stuck around. It just would have been delayed. Saying Osu has no chance making the cfp is not true. Now that there is no conference or returning head coach obviously the possibility of that happening in the next decade are slim. I can’t blame him for leaving either, but I don’t think inability to make the cfp was a valid reason

[@gregm4441]

The chances of making the playoff is one thing, but the number of times in a career you do make it... then the chances of winning a game once you have made it, are really not good at OSU.@@Argonhubert

[@erikjohnson6302]

Smith owes the beavers nothing

[@jeh58]

Just his only offer to play QB at a P5 level, his first job into the coaching world, and his first head coaching job. Other than that maybe you might be right.

[@ronaldaustin9138]

Guess Smith should have just thrown that gear in the dumpster...took a pic, and post it himself. Snowflakes.

[@patrickgarcia6500]

Canzano is a hack reporter, and only kisses Scott Barnes's ass. He has to be loyal to OSU because his daughter works in the Athletic department.