COACHES AND SUPPORT STAFF 2020 OREGON STATE FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE JONATHAN SMITH HEAD COACH Third season at Oregon State @Coach_Smith “We’re ahead of schedule!” Those were the words of Oregon State Vice President and Director of Athlet- ics Scott Barnes following the 2019 season when asked where the football pro- gram stood following head coach Jonathan Smith’s second year at the helm. A near unanimous selection to finish in last place in the Pac-12 Conference in 2019, Smith lead the Beavers to a near bowl game berth before ending the campaign tied for second place in the Pac-12 North. OSU improved statistically in nearly every possible category on the field, won three road league games for When Barnes officially introduced Smith, the first OSU graduate to ever lead the first time since 2013, and tied for the best winning percentage improvement the football program, he highlighted the former Beaver quarterback’s legacy in in the Conference. Corvallis. The most recent season also included a number of individual honors, led by “He has a unique perspective on what it means to be a part of Beaver Nation junior linebacker Hamilcar Rashed Jr., earning All-America by every major col- and to be successful for our student-athletes on and off the field,” Barnes said. lege football organization and fellow linebacker Omar Speights being highlight- As a student-athlete, Smith was a four-year letterman quarterback at Or- ed with Freshman All-America accolades. Seven Beavers were selected to the egon State from 1998-2001. He came to the program as a walk-on from Glen- Pac-12 Conference team, the most since 2013, by the league’s head coaches. dora, Calif., joining then head coach and OSU’s all-time winningest mentor Mike On the field improvement is clearly measurable, but it’s as much off the field Riley. Smith earned his first start on Oct. 31, 1998 and never relinquished that success that has led to the rise of the Beavers’ fortunes. OSU football student- role for the final 38 games of his career. The two-time team captain led the Bea- athletes have been selected to the Pac-12 Academic team 43 times over the vers to the 1999 Oahu Bowl and the 2001 Fiesta Bowl, where OSU capped an last two seasons, a mark that ranks second in the Pac-12. The trend continues 11-1 season with a dominating 41-9 victory over Notre Dame and a No. 4 final upward for academic success with the team boasting a cumulative GPA at over Associated Press ranking. 3.10, including an OSU record 3.22 for the 2019 Fall Term. “Oregon State University is a special place and I have many memories of be- Smith’s early success led the OSU administration to extend his contract ing a part of Beaver Nation,” Smith said at his introductory press conference. “I through 2025 season. played for some of the best coaches I have ever been around and learned many By all accounts, Coach Smith’s immediate goals upon his return to OSU of the qualities I have utilized in my coaching career.” prior to the 2018 season in the football leadership position of creating a culture, Smith left OSU as the school’s all-time leading passer with 9,680 yards laying a foundation, and emphasizing recruiting for future success has been -- he now ranks third among all Beaver quarterbacks in total passing yardage. widely successful. At the time of his graduation his records included career touchdown passes Coach Smith was officially introduced as the Beavers’ head coach Novem- (55); single-game passing yards (469 yards); and single-season passing yards ber 29, 2017. He inherited a program in need of stability, strong leadership, and (3,053 yards in 1999). He still holds the mark for the longest touchdown pass with a vision of success on and off the field. at 97 yards to Chad Johnson in 2000. Smith left OSU ranked No. 3 at the time In his first season, the team was among the most productive in the Pac-12 in conference history for passing yards and total offense. for several offensive categories, won on the road for the first time since 2014, His honors as a player were numerous while wearing the Orange and Black. and featured true freshman Jermar Jefferson set school records for rushing He was the Fiesta Bowl Offensive Most Valuable Player, earned Pac-10 Confer- on his way to All-American and Pac-12 Offensive Freshman Player of the Year ence Offensive Player of the Week multiple times and was a two-time member accolades. In addition, receiver Timmy Hernandez secured the program’s first of the league’s Honorable Mention team. Academic All-America honor since 1999. Smith’s coaching career started, in many respects as a player, but officially as a graduate assistant coach in 2002 and 2003 under both Dennis Erickson and Riley, respectively. He helped the Beavers to the 2002 Insight Bowl and 2003 Vegas Bowls, and in the process assisted in the grooming of longtime NFL quarterback Derek Anderson. Prior to returning to Oregon State, Smith served as the offensive coordi- nator and quarterbacks coach for the Washington Huskies, a program that he helped build into a conference and national championship contender. During his tenure he coached Husky record-setting quarterback and 2016 Pac-12 Player of the Year Jake Browning, and helped the Huskies to the 2016 College Football Playoff and the 2017 Fiesta Bowl. The 41-year-old Smith earned his first full-time coaching position at Idaho in 2004, where he served as the quarterbacks coach through 2009. In his final season with the Vandals, the team ranked ninth in the NCAA for total offense (451.4 yards per game); 12th in the nation for passing offense (286.7 yards per #GoBeavs 57 2020 OREGON STATE FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE COACHES AND SUPPORT STAFF game); and 20th in scoring (32.7 points per game). UNDER JONATHAN SMITH / NOTES ON 2020 From 2010-11, he was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) powerhouse Montana, leading the - Oregon State started 41 different players in 2019, tied for the most in the Pac-12. Grizzlies to the NCAA Division I semifinals in 2011. While Smith was at Montana, The Beavers return 28 players in 2020 who started at least once in 2019, including the Grizzlies’ offense ranked in the top 20 nationally in multiple categories. 14 (five offense, nine defense) who started six or more games. Smith joined Boise State for the 2012 and 2013 seasons as the Broncos’ - Overall, Oregon State has 34 players on the 2020 roster who have started at least quarterbacks coach. He helped guide the team to the 2012 Mountain West Con- once during their careers. ference co-championship and a victory over the Washington Huskies in the Las Vegas Bowl. - The Beavers return seven players in 2020 who have started at least 15 games at Following the 2013 regular season at Boise State, Smith followed head the FBS level. coach Chris Petersen to Washington to serve as the Huskies’ offensive coordi- - Oregon State’s 2020 returners have made 278 career starts at the FBS level, in- nator and quarterbacks coach. cluding 152 combined starts in 2019. A three-year starting quarterback at Glendora (Calif.) High, Smith graduat- ed from high school in 1997 and earned his bachelor’s degree in liberal studies - Oregon State finished tied for second in the Pac-12 North Division in 2019 for the first time since the conference split into divisions. The second-place finish marked from Oregon State in December, 2001. the Beavers’ first finish in the upper half of the North since 2012. He and his wife, Candice, have three children, Robert (11 years old), Bella (9) and Charles (5). - The Oregon State offense averaged 5.1 points more per game in 2019 than in 2018. This is despite averaging seven less plays per game. JONATHAN SMITH COACHING HISTORY - The Beavers’ 31.2 points per game average (2019) is the second-best single-game 2017-present - Oregon State - Head Coach average in a 12-game season for Oregon State, just behind 2000’s 33.3 average. 2014-2017 – Washington – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks 2012-2013 – Boise State – Quarterbacks - Oregon State returns the program’s No. 12 rusher (Jermar Jefferson at 2,065). 2010-2011 – Montana – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Jefferson is seventh at OSU with 10 100-yard rushing efforts. 2004-2009 – Idaho – Quarterbacks 2002-2003 – Oregon State – Graduate Assistant - On the ground, Oregon State returns 1,094 yards of its 1,880 total in 2019. That’s nearly 59 percent. BOWL TEAMS - The Beavers set a school-record with 6.0 yards per play in 2019. Oregon State 2017 – Fiesta averaged seven more yards per game offensively than in 2018. OSU also averaged 2016 – Peach/College Football Playoff 4.6 yards per rush, up from 3.8 in 2018. 2015 – Heart of Dallas 2014 – Cactus - Oregon State allowed 25 sacks in 2019, down from 48 in 2018. The Beavers also 2013 – Hawai’i allowed 60 tackles for loss, significantly down from 99 in 2018. 2012 – Las Vegas 2003 – Las Vegas - Oregon State’s plus-10 turnover margin tied for 10th nationally at the end of the 2002 – Insight regular season. The Beavers turned the ball over just six times, fewest in the nation. OSU was one of just three teams in 2019 to turn the ball over less than 10 times. 2000 – Fiesta/Bowl Championship Series* 1999 – O’ahu* - Defensively, Oregon State improved in just about every major statistical category.