Izzo said he talked with Smith this morning and said he will support any coach who is hired next.

"I am saddened by what happened. I understood it. He understood it," Izzo said. "I talked to him today, he understood it, which is really important. But it doesn’t mean we have to like it."

After two seasons with losing records, Smith was fired with a 4-14 conference mark. Izzo, a staunch critic of the current age of college athletics, said that the way coaches are hired, especially in football, is "demented."

"As head coaches, we understand our responsibility. We understand that everything is not rosy," Izzo said. "Because of this demented way we're doing this now, people are being hired to be fired."

Just hours after the firing, rumors were reported about a new hire for the team. Izzo said he will support anyone they hire and is confident in J Batt’s ability to hire a new coach.

"I could support whoever they put in front of me," Izzo said. "I really mean that, because I think they’ll do their due diligence and try to come up with the best fit for our program."

In September, President Kevin Guskiewicz said athletics is the "front porch" to the university, noting that sports, especially football, bring in revenue for all facets of MSU. Izzo took a similar stance today. 

"I’ll say this till the day I leave this place. I can do a lot of things here. [Women’s golf head coach] Stacy Sabotnik talked to her this morning. Adam [Nightingale] is doing incredible things. Our volleyball has been incredible. Our soccer has been incredible. It just doesn’t match up to football."

"We put them all together, and we probably are as important as half of a football program. And that’s not insulting. That’s not demeaning to the rest of us. That’s — as my son would say — those are facts."