Mel Tucker new HC at MSU
BREAKING: #CU coach Mel Tucker has agreed in principle to become the new head coach at #MichiganState, per sources. After Tucker turned down initial interest, MSU power brokers came back repeatedly to Tucker’s reps w/ an offer that was impossible to ignore https://t.co/qjOH0qKirQ
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) February 12, 2020
February 12th, 2020 at 7:15 AM ^
Crystal Balling a little bit here but his first 2 seasons at MSU are going to be a grind. This is still a fanbase that thinks every 3 star they get will turn into a All B1G high round NFL pick. The pressure will increase very quickly IMO. Why? 2020 dumpster fire of a roster + a tough schedule. 2021 is even worse.
@NW - Week 1
@Miami FL
@Michigan
@OSU
@Purdue
Home games with PSU and Nebraska
End the year with improving teams Indiana, Rutgers, and Maryland.
He might be lucky to have 10 wins after 2 seasons....
BONUS point: Michigan is going to absolutely dominate In State 2021 recruiting
February 12th, 2020 at 7:43 AM ^
LOL are you serious? Not sure if Tucker will be able to coach, but he can sure as hell recruit. As an African American man, he’s going to connect well with players in Detroit. This should make us more nervous about the Michigan 2021 class in state. Would you rather play for a guy just like you in Mel, or a guy like Harbaugh?
And if you say Harbaugh, then you can’t be mad with kids choosing Izzo over Juwan.
February 12th, 2020 at 7:58 AM ^
You must not be familiar with recruiting and that's ok, I'll break it down. The 2021 kids are already approaching the end of their junior years. We're only 10 months away from the early signing period as well. These kids also have established relationships with the Michigan staff and most are heavy Michigan leans as it is. So 5-7 Mel Tucker is going to come into the state and flip these guys from UM after a 4 win 1st season?? C'mon bro, be better. Here's some 2021 guys that are heavy Michigan leans:
Rocco Spindler #2 - In Mich
Donovan Edwards #4
Giovanni El-Hadi #5
Jamari Buddin #7
Raheem Anderson #9
That's 5 of the top 10 in state right there. Payne looks to be an out of state guy, Dellinger could be mich/nd battle. So maybe MSU nabs Jaylen Reed and gets 1 of out 10. That's domination.
If you want to talk 2022 then that's different because Tucker will have the time to develop relationships but Michigan is getting Will Johnson from GPS and that's all that matters.
February 12th, 2020 at 8:46 AM ^
Sounds racist
February 12th, 2020 at 8:49 AM ^
So your logic about African American athletes connecting with an African American man in recruiting isn't really supported by evidence. Maryland's 35th-ranked class and Illinois never cracking the top 50, despite being coached by black men, points to race not being a deciding factor for a lot of kids.
February 12th, 2020 at 9:11 AM ^
Being a black dude is a big part of Franklin's pitch and he's pretty successful.
February 12th, 2020 at 11:41 AM ^
Frames Janklin is black?
February 12th, 2020 at 7:50 PM ^
I’m getting negged for a similar comment below so I just want to point out there is evidence. If you look at the 247 top recruiter rankings, the majority of the top 50 are black guys, 60% of the top 25 is black and 70% of the top 10 are black. Strictly using full classes for head coaches has so many other uncontrolled factors like how good the school is and where it’s located. But on an individual coach basis, the 247 rankings provide the evidence you seek.
February 12th, 2020 at 11:21 AM ^
This is a pretty lazy take. It's one thing to say Tucker is a good recruiter, but to say it's because he's black? C'mon man.
To your other point, it's reasonable for kids to pick izzo over Juwan. Yes the "Tiny Tom" jokes are fun, but Izzo has shown he can make it the the final four consistently, and is a HOF coach that has proved his worth over 25 years. Juwan is already proven to be a good recruiter (not just because he's black, btw, there's that whole "experience as a top recruit and a long successful NBA playing/coaching success" working for him) but to say Izzo is a better recruiter at this point is not unreasonable at all.
February 12th, 2020 at 9:45 PM ^
Someone should tell Saban, Smart, Urban, Dabo and other top recruiters to realize their disadvantage as white guys or stop believing they’re black.
Come on, recruiting is about a coaching relationship + pitch and both are independent of race.
February 12th, 2020 at 7:17 AM ^
Black coach in his 40s means their recruiting instantly got 1000 times better. They somehow landed a respected coach with limited HC experience after this debacle of a search. I didn’t think they’d pull that off so good for them I guess. People in this thread saying he will bolt for the SEC, but he was born in Cleveland and has spent a lot of time coaching in the Midwest so not sure about that.
February 12th, 2020 at 7:40 AM ^
Detroit recruiting should improve right away.
February 12th, 2020 at 8:40 AM ^
Yeah, I can't count the number of black head coaches that have won conference, let alone national, titles. Come on, man. How racist do you have to be to assume that black kids will just flock to the black coach and consider nothing else about how bad the situation at MSU is.
Look at basketball. If the schools thought black head coaches meant recruiting dominance then every school would hire one. Maybe Juwan will prove that out, who knows.
February 12th, 2020 at 8:46 AM ^
Yeah the black = great recruiter is lazy and insulting to everyone. I'm assuming he also thinks a white coach is a great recruiter for only white kids.
February 12th, 2020 at 9:56 AM ^
....Dominating the golf and tennis recruiting trails
February 12th, 2020 at 11:13 AM ^
badminton, too. big in badminton.
February 12th, 2020 at 7:41 PM ^
Okay guys I don’t think it’s racist to point out an under 50 black guy connects better with certain kids than an over 60 grump like Dantonio. He recruited better than Dantonio at Colorado.
Also as pointed out above it’s part of Franklins recruiting pitch. Whether we think it’s PC to bring it up or not, these things get discussed in recruiting.
Also all we have to do is look to the Michigan basketball team. Beilein was great but old white dude gets replaced by young black guy and recruiting immediately gets better. I suppose you’ll say it’s just because he played in the NBA. But how many times has it been brought up that Juwan came from inner city Chicago. Jeeze it’s not racist to say a black guy is black.
February 12th, 2020 at 2:38 PM ^
It’s interesting but black kids a white kids want the same thing. Play for a good coach that develops them as a player and a person in a program that wins. Fascinating.
February 12th, 2020 at 7:25 AM ^
Can’t wait to see the media criticism for his record vs top 10 teams given his salary. 5.4million? Wow
only area I’ll give props to MSU is the apparent increase of assistants pool to $6million. Then again, how much is their AD’s annual budget to allow 11.4million/year in football coaches alone?
February 12th, 2020 at 7:34 AM ^
Great hire!.... seriously hear me out....
<insert grain of salt> I'm sure he'll be chewed up and spit out in 3-4 years, but the guy is a proven recruiter at the middle-of-the-pack/PAC-P5 level.
Yesterday I started a thread with the best option being Int. Tress and punt the 2020 season and '21 crootin' cycle. At least with that option being better than Beilema/retread or 'meh' level Gof5.
By snagging a middle of the pack/PAC guy, he may just be able to piece together a staff (Colorado OC seems legit). 2020 is going to be a bloodbath on the field, but at least MSU can go into living rooms with better than a lame duck HC.
I think the tire fire is too great for even Vince Lombardi (no relation to starting(?) QB) to fix. Tucker may get run out too soon, but he may not leave the cupboard bare for the next guy. I'm actually a bit worried that he may pluck a few in-state targets from Harbaugh. Certainly not enough to swing the tide in MSU favor, but he may snag a player or two that would be helpful in our pursuit of greater things.
All-in-all, I think this is a BEST CASE SCENARIO in the context that this is their "Rebound Coach". Maybe they'll find the true love they had with Mork in 2024?
February 12th, 2020 at 7:53 AM ^
Did you just do your own interpretation of an Eminem rap?
February 12th, 2020 at 8:06 AM ^
'Not sure what you mean? I did not attach a pdf of my mother's spaghetti recipe.
February 12th, 2020 at 8:16 AM ^
He will recruit Ohio and it could impact UM. He will hit the high schools hard in Michigan too. UM will need to make sure it’s doing what it needs in recruiting in state.
February 12th, 2020 at 8:25 AM ^
I think its fair to say that no matter who their HC is...they will try to recruit Michigan hard. MSU has always been Michigan and 2nd/3rd tier Ohio kids. Theres nothing uniquely concerning about Tucker in this regard. Any new MSU coach would do the same stuff in this regard.
February 12th, 2020 at 11:22 AM ^
Rumor is Vince Marrow (the guy at Kentucky Harbaugh tried to poach 5 min after landing in Ann Arbor) is coming along - apparently he and Tucker go back
February 12th, 2020 at 8:44 AM ^
I mean...sure? An MSU coach will absolutely recruit Michigan and Ohio. I have my doubts UM will lose any major recruits to him unless there are other factors at play.
February 12th, 2020 at 9:12 AM ^
How will that affect UM? We have basically punted on Ohio recruiting
February 12th, 2020 at 8:19 AM ^
They didnt have to go the MAC route which I guess can be seen as a victory in some way. But theres some questions there. For one theres the money, then theres the lack of a proven track record, finally theres the fact the dude pulled the one year jump within days of a dubious public declaration of loyalty. That kind of behavior doesnt say anything good about your sense of integrity and will be used in recruiting.
But given that program connections were likely a major factor for them, it was almost a given theyd hire a guy of questionable character.
February 12th, 2020 at 9:00 AM ^
Questionable character? Cmon that doesn’t fit.
He was offered a job and more money after someone else turned it down.
February 12th, 2020 at 12:00 PM ^
Its considered bad form to take another job after one year in that particular profession. After all it really puts your employer in a bad position. The coaches that have done it generally ended up with a diminished reputation as a greedy job hopper.
February 12th, 2020 at 1:30 PM ^
"Bad form = bad person" is a real stretch. They offered him ridiculous money.
By every account I've heard today from UGa and Bama people I know well (mostly extended family of my wife), they ALL say he's a great person. They hold him in very high regard, actually.
February 12th, 2020 at 8:37 AM ^
What fascinates me about Sparty fans, they say the hire puts them on an “upward trajectory”. Should get them to “10 wins in a few years”. I say - based on what? Your hope? He has no proven track record. No tangible facts that support the narrative. In fact, you can argue his only experience was below average. I get the spin cycle in EL, but even Harbaugh won elsewhere before UM, which gave us some basis to formalize a more substantive opinion.
February 12th, 2020 at 8:40 AM ^
He's a good HC but he's not likely to recruit much better than he did at CU and he's got one year as HC in college. And he's 48, so not a young guy either.
It's a decent salvage for them, but at best he probably stabilized them
February 12th, 2020 at 8:51 AM ^
Pac12 football<Big 10 football.
February 12th, 2020 at 9:07 AM ^
He'll definitely recruit better at MSU than at CU. Not that he'll have a Top 10 class, but MSU is a significantly better program, better resources, better nearby talent, etc.
February 12th, 2020 at 10:18 AM ^
“And he's 48, so not a young guy either.”
48 looks pretty damn young to me these days.
February 12th, 2020 at 11:15 AM ^
Says the guy with no flesh on his face.
February 12th, 2020 at 11:28 AM ^
says the guy whose birth certificate shows a d.o.b. of 1957.....b.c.
February 12th, 2020 at 8:41 AM ^
Good. Mel Tucker is not the type of coach that should worry the opponents.
February 12th, 2020 at 8:54 AM ^
MSU knew they had to overpay anyone to make the job look attractive, but wow - $6MM a year for a 5-7 record? Outstanding...
February 12th, 2020 at 8:57 AM ^
Just like MSU to keep pressing after "No".
February 12th, 2020 at 8:57 AM ^
Msu got their Brady Hoke.
Congrats!
February 12th, 2020 at 8:58 AM ^
Well at least they didn't end up with a waffling flake.
February 12th, 2020 at 8:59 AM ^
If Sparty is patient, I could see this being a pretty good hire in the long run. Tucker should be able to recruit and if he's got a big budget he'll bring in good assistants. The risk of him bailing for an SEC job isn't that high imo - he's going to be making bank as it is and if he's successful he'll get more money out of Sparty. If he isn't, the SEC won't want him.
The question is whether Sparty will be patient. The fan base has expectations now and a couple of 3-9 years aren't going to make them very happy.
Of course Bobby Williams 2.0 would be much more enjoyable, but I could see Tucker working out.
February 12th, 2020 at 9:09 AM ^
I actually think MSU fans will be pretty patient. After four years in the abyss, I don't think the expectation of an immediate turnaround are there. Nobody will care about Year 1...will want to see positive recruiting momentum. Also, MSU reportedly is very much investing in assistant money.
February 12th, 2020 at 9:20 AM ^
Guy has a ton of connections and experience as an assistant. I think they overpaid a little and he's risky. But if they're going to give him that much for assistants he's going to be able to put together an elite staff, that's more than we paid for assistants last season.
Rumblings are he's going out and snagging Kentucky's, Ohio State's, and Georgia's top recruiting assistants. That would be huge for MSu and the Big Ten.
February 12th, 2020 at 9:23 AM ^
Rumblings are he's going out and snagging Kentucky's, Ohio State's, and Georgia's top recruiting assistants. That would be huge for MSu and the Big Ten.
Mel's kid post that on tik tok?
February 12th, 2020 at 10:07 AM ^
Haven’t seen any “rumblings” other than at RCMB. I don’t think they can offer promotions and/or raises to all of Marrow, Hartline, and whomever from UGA - even if they can get the interest. I believe they will probably have to over-pay and/or over-promote assistants to get significant movement at this date as they did with Tucker (Kudos to him for making a great deal given MSU’s desperate situation.)