Jonathan Smith is taking the Michigan State job.

According to multiple reports, Smith is leaving Oregon State after six seasons with the program. 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz had the news first on Saturday morning. The Oregonian’s Nick Daschel reported that Smith informed the team at a meeting Saturday morning.

MSU officially announced him as the head coach shortly after reports first surfaced. Oregon State athletic director Scott Barnes said in a statement that Oregon State will immediately begin a national search for the program’s next head coach.

“Coach Smith has shared that he has accepted the position of Head Coach at Michigan State. His decision follows weeks of conversations during which he expressed his support for Oregon State’s short- and long-term plans and appreciation for the efforts Oregon State made to provide him with a new contract and guaranteed compensation,” Barnes said.

“Coach Smith and his staff worked tirelessly to rebuild the culture at Oregon State, both on the field and in the classroom. All of Beaver Nation should thank him for the lasting legacy he has left to his alma mater and wish him and his family nothing but the best moving forward.

Smith was identified as Michigan State’s top option Friday shortly before Oregon State’s game against Oregon. Reporting on Friday night suggested MSU could finalize an agreement before the weekend was done.

The Beavers lost to Oregon 31-7 to end their regular season. After the game, Smith was asked if he’d interviewed for or planned to interview for the MSU job. He responded by saying “no decisions have been made.”

Smith ends his Oregon State career with a 34-35 record in six seasons. After taking over a downtrodden program, he has taken the Beavers to three consecutive bowl games and re-established the program as a respectable one. Oregon State won 10 games and the Las Vegas Bowl last season, netting Smith the Pac-12 Coach of the Year award.

The 2022 campaign remains one of the best in program history.

Oregon State opened the 2023 season at 8-2 before back-to-back losses to Washington and Oregon to close out the year.

Smith, a former Oregon State quarterback, said when he was hired that the Oregon State job was his dream job. It’s hard to look at Smith’s decision to walk away six years later without mentioning the role conference realignment has played in destabilizing the Oregon State program.

“It’s great to be home,” he said at a news conference in November 2017. “Now I’m sitting here in front of you with my dream job, in my dream town, at my dream school.”

Beginning next season, the Pac-12 will cease to exist. Oregon State and Washington State have been left without a proverbial chair to sit on while the rest of the conference has split up between the Big Ten, Big 12, and ACC.