Oregon State is working on a contract extension for head coach Jonathan Smith, according to a tweet Tuesday from Yahoo‘s Pete Thamel.
The 40-year-old former Beavers quarterback recently completed his second season as the head coach at his alma mater. While he has yet to take Oregon State to a bowl game, his 7-17 record has to be viewed through the proper prism. Taking over one of the most historically downtrodden programs -- heck, the most historically downtrodden program -- in the Pac-12, Smith jumped the Beavers by three wins from 2018 to ’19, including a 4-5 record in the Pac-12.
Oregon State tied for second place in the Pac-12 North this fall, which stands as the Beavers’ highest finish in the standings since the Pac-12 split into divisions in 2011. (The 2012 team did go 6-3 in conference play, though.)
Source: Oregon State and Jonathan Smith are finalizing a new six-year contact through the 2025 season. Beavers have shown distinct improvement under Smith, finishing tied for second in Pac-12 North this year.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 7, 2020
While salary terms were not disclosed, it would be safe to assume Smith is in line for a raise. His $1.9 million salary currently stands as the lowest among all Power 5 head coaches with Tom Allen‘s raise at Indiana.