Oregon State has made Jonathan Smith the Beavers' next head football coach.

The walk-on is now in charge.

That's a romantic story, isn't it?

Smith, 38, led the Beavers to a 2001 Fiesta Bowl win and that magical 11-1 season. And the hope here is that he's going to serve as a bridge back to that kind of greatness for OSU. Bring ex-coach Dennis Erickson as a consultant? Or even Mike Riley? (I'm told that Smith is interested in adding one of them, but not both to his staff). How about former Beavers lineman Kyle DeVan, Ball State's offensive line coach, on the staff?

Before all that, though, a point for anyone upset that the hire isn't splashier.

It's this: "Splashy" wasn't taking the OSU job. "Splashy" was going to take one look around after being hired and see the imperfections at OSU and fall over in disbelief. And, best case, if "Splashy" succeeded, he was going to leave OSU after 18 months for a better job.

There wasn't a perfect candidate for Oregon State. No doubt, ex-coach Gary Andersen and Riley fielded dozens of calls from coaches who wanted to know what's wrong at OSU. No doubt, whomever the Beavers hired was going to come with imperfections, but I can live with the ones that Smith has -- he's young, and hasn't been a head coach yet. But he really wants to be there and if he assembles the right staff, has a chance.

That's why it's a good hire for OSU. Smith, who stands 5-foot-9, quarterbacked OSU to arguably its greatest modern football season. He knows how to work, and overcome, and what the Beavers are betting on with this hire is that winners win because they do.

What Smith mostly needs from OSU, though, is a psychological shift with its university president, the board of trustees and the OSU Foundation. Those upper-level entities all say they want the football program to succeed. But wishing and hoping is not a strategy. They need a real plan and strong vision and that is now being carried by a guy who didn't come to Oregon State on scholarship.

Smith knows the problems at Oregon State. He's lived them. Also, he's recruited the region. Also, he will have the support of former players such as Steven Jackson, Derek Anderson and Chad Johnson. I'm told at least two of them were in his corner on this hire. Jackson was a five-star kid from Las Vegas who chose Corvallis as his college home. Smith was on the opposite end of the spectrum.

Erickson and Riley become an interesting aside to all of this. Because they've seen the warts in Corvallis. They know the problems. And if Smith hires one to serve on his staff, it makes the transition feel less youthful and risky. But again, you can take one of those guys as a consultant, but not both. Not because of ego, but because they have contrasting styles.

I don't know if Oregon State will win big. I think more of that rests with the upper-level administration. Will they invest in making OSU a better destination? Will they have the vision to position the Beavers football program as visionary? Or stay reactive?

Smith's hire is a nice twist, isn't it?

The walk-on now has the keys to the place. It's a Disney movie. Like "Miracle," or "Secretariat." Someone alert Mike Rich, the Hollywood screenwriter and OSU donor, because he'll write this Smith/Beavers script better than anyone.

The marketing folks at Oregon State have to be thrilled with a storyline that connects with the feel-good era of OSU football. It's an easy sell. And Smith is going to have to out-work people and convince them to buy in to what is a developmental program. He hasn't really had to sit down with boosters to persuade them to write a check, but I think he'll figure that out.

What's that? You wanted Les Miles at Oregon State? Or Rick Neuheisel there? You got excited when you heard that ex-Florida coach Jim McElwain had someone make a call to Beavers AD Scott Barnes? That's all good. But there were questions and problems with any of those hires. Miles hadn't recruited the west. Neuheisel has been out of the game since 2011. And McElwain comes with questions.

I like the Smith hire.

Oregon State did too.