Adam Rittenberg of ESPN recently did a ranking of all college football head coaches as players. Michigan State’s Jonathan Smith fared pretty well, coming in at number seven overall. Fellow Big Ten newcomer DeShaun Foster of UCLA sits right ahead of Smith at number six. Places five through two were Mike Gundy (Oklahoma State), Steve Sarkisian (Texas), Josh Huepel (Tennessee), and Eddie George (Bowling Green). Deion Sanders at Colorado took the top spot.
According to ESPN, Smith was a better college player than Scott Frost, Kyle Whittingham, Kirby Smart, Jeff Brohm, Marcus Freeman, Mario Cristobal, Kalen DeBoer, and Luke Fickell, among others.