Who Will be sparty's Next Coach?
Mates,
With Tucker officially gone, sparty is in the market for a coach. Other than our coaches, I don't pay much attention to who is hot/not hot, and who would be a legitimate candidate for other jobs. With the idiotic behavior that Tucker engaged in, looking for the next sparty coach is like looking for the next person in line for the outhouse at deer camp, and the guy in front of you just destroyed it. The usual response is, 'That's okay, I'll wait, I'll let it air out a bit...'
And the pay issue. Since they gave that idiot $95MM, they have artificially raised the minimum bar for any replacement - has to be many millions inflated.
I think the sparty faithful are wanting big name guys, but unless they about doubled Tucker's salary that isn't happening. Some candidates suggested by an SI article are:
Elko - Duke; Stoops - Kentucky; Both Kansas and KSU guys; Huff - Marshall; Fritz - Tulane;
They had a few others and some coordinators including our own Sherrone Moore and ohio's Hartline. I get that money talks, but I just can't imagine many big name guys who want to move laterally to that outhouse in EL, or that want to step up to be the HC there, either. I think many will say, 'That's okay, I'll wait, I'll let it air out a bit..."
So let's have some fun speculating: Who will be sparty's next coach?
XM
Link to SI article here for those who might be curious: https://www.si.com/college/2023/09/27/mel-tucker-michigan-state-replacement-candidates-coaching-carousel
September 28th, 2023 at 6:09 AM ^
Fun topic to start the day! It seems that Klieman is out:
https://www.kansascity.com/sports/college/big-12/kansas-state/article279844449.html
Apologies to the MGoBlog readers that prefer hopping through several Twitter posts to get to an actual article. :)
September 28th, 2023 at 7:12 AM ^
September 28th, 2023 at 7:24 AM ^
No one has ever said they're not a candidate for a head coaching job and then later taken that job.
September 28th, 2023 at 9:20 AM ^
That’s never happened. Ever.
September 28th, 2023 at 11:24 AM ^
I know you're talking about Tucker, but I'll add Mel Pearson said almost the same thing before he took the Michigan job, although he left himself a "we'll see what happens" loophole so big you could drive Dantonio's scowl through it.
September 29th, 2023 at 6:08 PM ^
I don’t think he’s talking about any coach specifically. Coaches say this every year and then leave for a new job
September 28th, 2023 at 12:29 PM ^
A couple theories in my opinion:
1. He has a really strong relationship with KSU AD Gene Taylor who came from NDSU and stable situation at KSU with a new contract extension. Contrast this to the situation at MSU where they have an interim president, a messy divorce with Mel Tucker, and potential rebuild right when the conference is leveling up.
2. Klieman is an Iowa native. Could he be holding out for a potential Ferentz retirement?
3. MSU has Big Ten money and shown they can spend with other top-25 jobs. But how good is the job? The Big Ten is about to get more competitive with the addition of USC, UCLA, Oregon, and Washington. MSU will now be somewhere around the 8th-12th best job in the conference depending on your opinion. But the expectations of the fanbase post-Dantonio have not recalibrated yet. You never want to be the coach to follow a program great, and I am not sure there is enough distance yet from the Dantonio era to reset expectations. Will the fans have patience for losing seasons?
September 28th, 2023 at 7:27 AM ^
Caveat: KSU has played 4 games. He’s not going to say he’s interested in another job 1/3 of the way through the year, or at all. Every coach says they’re happy where they’re at up until the point they’re being introduced at their new job.
Klieman isn’t going to jeopardize KSU’s season, and certainly isn’t going to accept a new job mid-season, by publicly expressing interest in another job that he hasn’t even been offered.
September 28th, 2023 at 9:30 AM ^
Eh, I'd bet he isn't going anywhere. He's at his first big boy job after dominating the lower division. He is at a place that fits him and working for his pal. I highly doubt he ever goes to another school, but who knows for sure I guess.
September 28th, 2023 at 11:20 AM ^
K-State is a much better football program than MSU is at this moment, not to mention they are in an easy conference to win in compared to the B1G which will add the likes of USC, Oregon, UCLA and Washington amongst U-M, OSU, PSU. He has it made at K-State right now.
September 28th, 2023 at 12:24 PM ^
I don't know anything about Klieman, but coaches inevitably say they aren't a candidate until the day they're hired. Remember that Mel initially said no to MSU until they kept shoveling wheelbarrows of cash at him. MSU can outbid KSU (and just about any other non-B1G or SEC school) if they want to, by a signficiant margin.
September 28th, 2023 at 6:21 AM ^
Josh Gattis....BOOM! I hear he has a way with the recruits' moms.
staee in space!
September 28th, 2023 at 6:23 AM ^
brutal.
kidding aside, if, if if, the rumors about gattis were true, he would be the next most likely guy to pull a tucker, if you know what i mean.
September 28th, 2023 at 6:26 AM ^
True, so just to be safe they could bring back a well known staee slappie....
September 28th, 2023 at 6:27 AM ^
He's tanned, rested, ready.
September 28th, 2023 at 7:01 AM ^
This never gets old.
September 28th, 2023 at 9:48 AM ^
This never gets old. I love me some John L. Smith. It's like a picture pages version of "horse shit" coach.
September 28th, 2023 at 10:58 AM ^
I love that there are 3 very different shades of green in this gif.
September 28th, 2023 at 11:09 AM ^
we had our own crazy maize stage
September 28th, 2023 at 11:56 AM ^
Yes but only one shade of blood red
September 28th, 2023 at 1:37 PM ^
he bought the jacket at meijer and the hat at walmart.
September 28th, 2023 at 12:40 PM ^
He’s a slappee and a slapper at the same time
September 28th, 2023 at 8:37 AM ^
Your "pull a tucker" is good.
Maybe we should also start referring to the guy himself as Tug.
September 28th, 2023 at 9:01 AM ^
some State fans refer to him as Mel Tugger
September 28th, 2023 at 9:53 AM ^
Yeah, I mean only thing more on brand for MSU at this point would be to just appoint Tom Izzo as "Athletic Czar" and let him run the football team as well.
September 28th, 2023 at 10:17 AM ^
Judging from their recent football coaching hires since Duffy retired and Saban fled - with the exception of Mick Dantonyo - Izzo would be a step up.
September 28th, 2023 at 10:32 AM ^
Would Hoke walk to Michigan State?
September 28th, 2023 at 11:10 AM ^
Only to poop in a cooler. Wait, that's another school
September 28th, 2023 at 11:46 AM ^
In Josh's defense, Xavier's mom makes me think about Stacy's Mom.
September 28th, 2023 at 2:05 PM ^
Gattis would definitely fit their culture. And he has a hard on for Michigan. The perfect choice.
September 28th, 2023 at 10:33 PM ^
Careful, didn't Mel get in trouble for that.
September 28th, 2023 at 6:29 AM ^
Does State get desperate and offer Matt Campbell?
September 28th, 2023 at 7:11 AM ^
Two desperate fools - perfect alignment
September 28th, 2023 at 7:28 AM ^
Sparty would be lucky to get Campbell. I know he has not aged as well as when the blog was strongly considering him, but what he has done at ISU compared to their baseline is still pretty amazing. I could also see him jumping as this might be his last bus out of town.
September 28th, 2023 at 8:58 AM ^
Well.... lately things have been showing that Campbell's success was greatly due to Brock Purdy... similar to Belichik and Brady. Both haven't done anything since their QBs departed.
September 28th, 2023 at 8:58 AM ^
Well.... lately things have been showing that Campbell's success was greatly due to Brock Purdy... similar to Belichik and Brady. Both haven't done anything since their QBs departed.
September 28th, 2023 at 9:19 AM ^
A .500 record at ISU is a massive improvement over their baseline. Not unlike what Creighton is doing at EMU. Neither are winning championships year in and year out, but given the historical context, fielding a competitive team every year is a pretty big achievement.
September 28th, 2023 at 10:01 AM ^
True. However last season ISU won 2 games against P5 programs. And their prospects don't look too good to improve on that much this season. Another sub-.500 conference record this year and I think all of the shine will have worn off.
September 28th, 2023 at 4:08 PM ^
I'd argue Michigan was in a similar boat entering the 2021 season. The off-season leading up to it was a dunk fest on Harbaugh with the lowest of low expectations.
September 28th, 2023 at 7:49 PM ^
Coming out of 2020 and 2022 are two vastly different things. Anyone that was looking to fire or long-term extend their coach during the covid season were being incredibly short-sighted. That season was a massive outlier for most programs.
September 29th, 2023 at 7:54 AM ^
Agreed, but that was not the majority take around here, which is kind of the point
September 28th, 2023 at 10:06 AM ^
I think the thought process is generally that if you can't outwit coaches at the MAC level, you aren't outwitting them in the Big 10, where the best coaches reside. The step up isn't as severe from the Big 12 to the Big 10, but it's still a step up.
Campbell is probably a nice floor. 6-6 every year and competent football. But if I'm MSU I'm not accepting that without at least testing the higher ceiling guys.
September 28th, 2023 at 10:03 AM ^
In 2017 (without Purdy), Matt Campbell led Iowa State to upset wins over Oklahoma (a CFP team with Heisman winner Baker Mayfield) and TCU (who lost to Oklahoma in the Big 12 CG), and finished 8-5 with a bowl win. While Purdy was QB they surpassed this record only once and finished with a worse record twice.
I get that it's an easy dunk to go at Campbell right now, but that's incredibly low hanging fruit that is quite hollow.
September 28th, 2023 at 2:06 PM ^
So nice you said it twice.
September 28th, 2023 at 7:55 AM ^
Pretty sure I saw a tweet about a flight tracker from Ames to East Lansing yesterday
https://x.com/stillnothawkize/status/1707077876539863442?s=46&t=U425JDHJKvdURRDpiP8W9g
September 28th, 2023 at 9:27 AM ^
I’ve got a friend whose brother in law knows a guy whose sister works at Washington State. She says Jake Dickert would crawl over broken glass to get to East Lansing. It’s Michigan State fergodsakes.
September 28th, 2023 at 10:12 AM ^
Michigan State is still a mid-level job in one of the richest conferences in the sport while Washington State is...still looking for a conference after being a bottom-of-the-barrel pick in a conference that has had absolutely no qualms leaving them behind.
September 28th, 2023 at 11:07 AM ^
MSU has to recruit in state against a juggernaut (Saban said this was a reason he left MSU). They also have regular games against UofM, OSU, and PSU (depending on realignment). That's a schedule likely tougher than Wazzu ends up with.
September 28th, 2023 at 12:26 PM ^
WSU is likely going to end up in the Mountain West or equivalent. Just about every MWC coach would jump to a mid-tier B1G or SEC job if given the chance.
September 28th, 2023 at 2:29 PM ^
MSU is at least in the same conference as their rivals. Imagine being Wazzu and competing from a lower-tier conference for recruits against your in-state rival (Washington) in a high-prestige conference (B1G).
How is that in any way better? That's like staying at a MAC school because the P5 school with a much bigger salary, better facilities, and more resources that just offered you has Blueblood rivals in the region.