Who can replace Mel Tucker? Michigan State football coaching candidates

Mel Tucker has been terminated as Michigan State’s head football coach after a stunning few weeks of allegations and revelations at the university. Michigan State provided him with written notice of intent to terminate his contract for cause. The news comes amid an MSU investigation into sexual harassment allegations against the coach, who less than two years ago signed a 10-year, $95 million contract extension amid 11-2 results.

The program is reeling — the Spartans were crushed at home in Week 3 by Washington, trailing 35-0 at halftime — but the job will still be very attractive. It has three AP top-10 finishes in the past nine seasons and is a top-tier program in a conference attracting huge money in the wake of the Big Ten’s massive TV deal.

The job isn’t the first vacancy of the season in the Big Ten (Northwestern), but this is a more attractive coaching job. Michigan State isn’t quite on the level of archrival Michigan, Penn State, or Ohio State, but with the conference retiring its divisions, the scene should be more visually manageable. Expect a lot of Power 5 coaches to receive serious attention.

Who will get interest from the Power 5 ranks?

Mike Elko, Duke, head coach

Let’s start with one of the coaches I think Northwestern will also target. The 45-year-old from New Jersey had an impressive debut season in 2022, leading Duke to a 9-4 record. His team, currently ranked No. 18, started the season strong with a win over Clemson and started the game 3-0. This is all great.

A former Ivy League defensive back, he worked at Fordham, Richmond, Wake Forest, Notre Dame and Texas A&M. Like Duke, MSU has a rich basketball history, but it’s not a pure basketball school like Duke — and the ACC doesn’t have the money that the Big Ten does. This could get interesting.

Lance Leipold, Kansas, head coach

Leipold is practically a miracle worker for what he did in Lawrence, Kan. The 59-year-old from Wisconsin, who won six Division III national titles at Wisconsin-Whitewater before turning Buffalo into an AP Top 25 team, has successfully gotten the Jayhawks into the Top 25 last year after a decade of rotten football in Lawrence. This year, KU started 3-0. This is a call that if you’re from MSU, you should probably take it because tLeipold is an elite football coach, and he’s proven that everywhere he’s been.

Chris Klieman, Kansas State, head coach

Leipold’s in-state rival would be a wise choice if he’s interested. Klieman and the Wildcats were Big 12 champions last year, and although the Big Ten has much better resources than the Big 12, Klieman is working with the same athletic director at K-State that he had when he was winning national titles at North Dakota State. . Kleiman is as good as he gets within the conference.

PJ Fleck, Minnesota, head coach

The Spartans reportedly have some interest in Fleck, who has done a good job bringing a lot of stability to a program that was reeling when he left Western Michigan. The 42-year-old is 46-28 at Minnesota, and that includes an 11-2 season and top-10 finish in 2019. He has a good career in the Big Ten, but it should be noted that MSU is a program that has reached a playoff College Football Playoff before so it wouldn’t shock us if he took that into consideration.

Who will receive consideration from the G5?

Willie Fritz, Tulane, head coach

Fritz would be a strong candidate. A former defensive back at Pittsburg State in Kansas, he had double-digit winning seasons at every level of college football, going 97-47 at Central Missouri, 40-15 at Sam Houston State and 17-7 at Georgia Southern.

Now he’s rolling in New Orleans. In 2022, he led Tulane to a 12-2 season that included a Cotton Bowl win over USC and a ninth-place finish. Tulane is 2-1 this fall, and I could see him playing at Northwestern — and he would be an obvious option at Kansas if Leipold transfers to MSU.

Jason Candle, Toledo, head coach

Kandel, the former MAC Coach of the Year, won at least nine games three times in his seven seasons with the Rockets. He has a well-respected offensive mind and is expected to receive some consideration for the job, according to sources. The 43-year-old Mount Union product has won two MAC titles.

Charles Huff, Marshall, head coach

Huff is seen as a rising star. The 40-year-old Maryland native proved to be a top assistant at Penn State, Mississippi State and Alabama before getting his chance to become president. He’s in his third season with the Thundering Herd and has gone 11-4 since 2022, including a win over Notre Dame in South Bend.

Ken Wommack, South Alabama, head coach

Like Huff, Wommack is another rising head coach at the Group of Five level who was an assistant in the Big Ten. Wommack played a big role in Indiana’s No. 12 finish in 2020 while he was defensive coordinator. The 36-year-old is off to a hot start in the Sun Belt, circling South Alabama; He went 10-3 last year, including a narrow loss to UCLA in the Rose Bowl. His team just beat Oklahoma State 33-7 in Stillwater.

Other considerations

Pat Narduzzi, Pitt, head coach

One notable option for a sitting coach: Narduzzi, the former defensive coordinator beloved under Mark Dantonio. The 57-year-old was great in D.C. and brings a lot of quality to MSU. He’s been really solid during his nearly decade running Pitt’s program, and had back-to-back top 25 seasons the last two years, going 20-7. Does he want to return to East Lansing? I’m not sure about this. He has a good job in a great city, but he’s been there a long time, and the Big Ten has much more stability than the ACC.

Bill O’Brien, New England Patriots, offensive coordinator

O’Brien is another runaway candidate who could end up in the mix. He knows all about getting into messy situations, having taken over at Penn State in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal. O’Brien did an excellent job of handling all types of issues and getting things back on track. He won the Bear Bryant Award in 2012 and went 15-9 in two seasons before leaving to become the head coach of the Houston Texans. He had four playoff seasons and left with a 52-48 record. Whether he wants to return to college again remains a mystery, but that’s a good Big Ten job.

Sean Lewis, Colorado, offensive coordinator

I think the first candidate from the assistant ranks would be Lewis. He has head coaching experience from his time at Kent State, where he did a really good job in a tough spot for any sustained success, going 18-10 in the MAC in his last four seasons. He led Kent State to its first bowl win before leaving this season to become Deion Sanders OC at Colorado.

As explained by L The athlete Last week, the move was prompted by him almost getting the head coaching job in Cincinnati last winter, but Scott Satterfield, a coach with Power 5 experience, ended up getting it at the last second, so Lewis decided it was time for a switch. In Colorado, he showed once again that he has a great offensive mentality. The 37-year-old former Wisconsin quarterback turned tight end has been well-regarded among his players and would be a compelling option for MSU.

Matt House, LSU, defensive coordinator

House is a Michigan State graduate who began his coaching career as a Spartan graduate assistant. The 45-year-old, a disciple of Steve Spagnuolo, did a truly impressive job at LSU last year, despite the presence of seven new starters and the absence of a more talented defensive line in Mason Smith. The Tigers rose from 10th in the SEC in scoring defense to 5th. They also jumped from No. 13 to No. 3 in red zone touchdown percentage. His stock numbers will go up if LSU ends up making the College Football Playoff.

Sherron Moore, Michigan, offensive coordinator

Moore is a famous name in the coaching world, but will MSU try to sign its archrival? And would the 37-year-old really be tempted? If Jim Harbaugh one day leaves for the NFL, which might happen this winter, it would make a lot of sense for Moore to be his replacement. He has been a vital aid to the Wolverines’ rise the past two seasons, with his offensive line winning back-to-back Joe Moore Awards as the best unit in the country.

His work in the trenches and as a recruiter played a major role in Harbaugh taking this program to the top of the league, dominating rival Ohio State the past two years. People within the Michigan program are big believers in Moore, speak enthusiastically about his ability to connect with players and say players will run through the wall for him, in part because he is so honest.

Brian Hartline, Ohio State, offensive coordinator

Another Big Ten assistant to watch is Ohio State OC Brian Hartline. The former NFL wide receiver has proven himself to be the best assistant coach in the country the past few seasons, recruiting one elite prospect after another and developing them into first-round picks. The 36-year-old Canton, Ohio native could be an interesting option especially considering his ability to source top talent and the attention to detail he has shown toward his craft.

Harlon Barnett, Michigan State, interim head coach

Barnett, a 56-year-old former Spartans player, has a chance to win the job, but it’s a big uphill battle that began with a 41-7 home loss to Washington. If he can lead MSU through some upsets, he could work his way into that job full-time. But with four ranked contenders, including three teams in the top 10, the odds aren’t great.

(Top photo by Mike Elko: Lance King/Getty Images)