Speculation, rumors swirl on Jonathan Smith's status at MSU, possible replacement

Tick tock, tick tock, all of us Spartans are waiting around watching the clock -- or their social media feed.

It's been a long day of waiting for Michigan State fans and media members as we all are awaiting a decision on the fate of head coach Jonathan Smith, with no news yet as of roughly 2 p.m. ET on Sunday. There is plenty of speculation and an expectation that a decision will come from athletic director J Batt before the end of day on whether or not Smith will be retained for a third season or dismissed as head coach.

Depending on who you follow on social media, you may have seen some expressing their thoughts and opinions on which way Batt is leaning. There haven't been any direct reports that I've came across, but I continue to see one common opinion on what will happen: Michigan State is going to dismiss Smith and hire former Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald.

Here are just a few of the posts I've seen on social media this morning and early this afternoon linking Fitzgerald to the Spartans:

I want to again reiterate that there has been no reports or official word on what will happen at Michigan State. This is purely sharing some of the common speculation I've seen on social media, and with this being shared at such a high-volume, I'm starting to think there is some fire to all this smoke. But we won't know until anything becomes official or some true substantial reporting is made -- hopefully, this will be coming soon.

Stay with Spartans Wire for additional coverage on the Smith's status at Michigan State and where things will go for the Spartans moving forward.

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This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: Speculation, rumors swirl on Jonathan Smith's status at MSU, possible replacement