Top Notre Dame Assistant Named Favorite for Big Ten Coach...

By Anne EricksonShareNewsweek is a Trust Project member

Even though the Lane Kiffin news is dominating the headlines, there's another school making major changes to its college football program.

On Sunday, Michigan State University made the decision to fire head football coach Jonathan Smith after two seasons with the Spartans.

Michigan State dropped eight of its last nine games and finished 4-8, including a 1-8 record in the Big Ten. Based on reports over the past few weeks, it wasn't a matter of if but when the school would let Smith go. He had a 9-15 record during his two seasons with the team, and he was 4-14 in the Big Ten. The Spartans will pay him $33 million as part of his buyout.

"The 2025 football season has not lived up to our shared standards for Michigan State Football. While that does not fall solely on Jonathan Smith, it's become necessary to make a coaching change in order to chart a new direction for the program," Michigan State vice president and athletic director J Batt said in a statement.

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Aneyas Williams #22 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrates a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Syracuse Orange at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana.

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While former Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald is expected to be named Smith's successor, according to a report from USA Today, the deal isn't official, and there are still other names being talked about in the wake of Smith and the university parting ways.

One of those names is Mike Denbrock, the offensive coordinator at Notre Dame.

"If you want regionality, look no further than Notre Dame offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock," Cory Linsner of the Spartans Wire wrote. "A Homer (MI) native that attended Grand Valley State, he has spent 12 seasons coaching at Notre Dame to add to four seasons at Cincinnati and two seasons at LSU. It is also worth noting he was a grad assistant at MSU from 1988 to 1989."

Paul Myerberg of USA Today also likes Denbrock as a pick and highlights him in a Nov. 30 feature about replacement options.

"The Notre Dame offensive coordinator has seen his stock rise since returning to South Bend before last season," he says. "Denbrock also has some slight experience with the program after spending two years as a graduate assistant at the start of his career. But his lack of experience as a head coach is an obvious separator when comparing his candidacy to other names on the Spartans’ watchlist."

If Fitzgerald has already taken the gig, as the USA Today's report indicates, then the world will likely know on Monday. But if there's some sort of hold up, Denbrock would be worthy of a look.

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