OT: Fox Sports - ten coaches that MSU should consider
The following article (not paywalled) from Fox Sports touches on the coaching situation in EL and identifies ten candidates should Mel not return to the Spartan's sideline. Here's the link - and the list of coaches.
- Mike Elko - Duke
- Lance Leipold - Kansas
- Pat Narduzzi - Pitt
- Mark Stoops - Kentucky
- Dave Doeren - NC State
- PJ Fleck - Minnesota
- Jason Candle - Toledo
- Sean Lewis - OC Colorado
- Matt House - DC LSU
- Harlon Barnett - Interim Head Coach
Any thoughts on this list? If you were the AD - any coaches "stand out" - which ones? Fleck's caught my attention.
September 19th, 2023 at 5:11 PM ^
I need a deep dive into their phone sex etiquette before I make my choice.
September 19th, 2023 at 5:57 PM ^
Thank goodness Tucker kept it in his pants long enough to let Fickell get away from MSU not only once but twice!
September 19th, 2023 at 8:41 PM ^
Fickells wife said no to east Lansing due to culture. This was post nassar. They have daughters and she didn't want them anywhere near that environment.
September 19th, 2023 at 10:37 PM ^
smart and classy lady
September 20th, 2023 at 9:44 AM ^
I like Narduzzi, PJ Fleck and Paul Chryst. Each of them have had some successes and failures. Each know the Big Ten culture and I think would be good hires for MSU. Obviously a promotion for Chryst but he's shown he has the ability to coach a Big Ten contender. Fleck has done a pretty good job at Minnesota and perhaps could do better with better recruits and at a slightly more visible school. Narduzzi has had some success at Pitt. Would kinda be like a lateral but depends on if he wants to come back.
September 20th, 2023 at 10:47 AM ^
No idea why Fleck would be a candidate. He's already in the Big Ten and at a school that 1) doesn't share its home state and 2) has more reasonable fan expectations.
September 20th, 2023 at 8:12 PM ^
re: #2 … tell it to Glen Mason
September 20th, 2023 at 9:54 AM ^
Fickell is yet unproven. The graveyard of coaches with great results at lower tiers who went on to mediocrity on the big stage is overflowing with bodies (Dan Hawkins at CO, RichRod, Dino Babers, to name a few).
September 20th, 2023 at 10:46 AM ^
Dan Hawkins, "IT'S DIVISION ONE FOOTBALL! Go play intramurals brother"
Now I have to go watch that again lol.
September 20th, 2023 at 11:25 AM ^
Hoke?
September 20th, 2023 at 12:32 PM ^
I think this time he would not walk 3000 miles. He might drive though.
September 20th, 2023 at 2:01 PM ^
Wisky is a much better coaching opportunity than moo U
September 20th, 2023 at 10:08 PM ^
Which big stage has Babers stepped on? Syracuse?
September 19th, 2023 at 6:49 PM ^
Assuming they cover that issue, they do have a significant advantage in their search. The next guy's got to be better.
Right?
On the other hand, chances are always good that Sparty's gonna spart.
September 19th, 2023 at 7:08 PM ^
Mel misread it as “Sparty’s gonna spurt.”
September 19th, 2023 at 10:09 PM ^
That works too.
September 20th, 2023 at 8:13 PM ^
#Spurtinswill
September 20th, 2023 at 1:10 PM ^
Any of the guys on here who already have a head coaching job already have a better gig than the trash fire they would walk into at MSU.
September 19th, 2023 at 5:11 PM ^
They should hire the man they should have hired back in 2020 when the job first opened up: Chris Creighton. But since MSU thinks they are on the same level as Michigan and OSU and Alabama they'll surely fly too close to the sun and make another stupid hire, which is exactly what got them into this mess in the first place.
September 19th, 2023 at 5:22 PM ^
Came here just to suggest this name. He made EMU respectable, which is quite a feat. He’s not the flashy hire, he knows the local area, won’t cost you $95m, and would stabilize the program. That should be the real goal.
Aiming for Saban, urban, Deion, etc. is just asking to waste another $95 million because you’d have to pay up for a real hot coach given the risk here. And going with someone like narduzzi is just asking for more of the same culture. They need a fresh start.
A guy like creighton might be willing to take the job for a mid level big10 salary. He just needs to last 5 years or so and it would make sense financially over where he’s at now. The big names on that list don’t need to jump into such a risky program just to get canned after 5 years. They can hold out for better opportunities.
September 19th, 2023 at 6:22 PM ^
If they were smart they wouldn't talk about Michigan publicly for five years, until they’ve really put their house in order. Narduzzi would suggest that they're not ready to grow up. Have heard the LSU DC mentioned several times--what's his story?
September 20th, 2023 at 10:33 AM ^
Matt House - he's from Northern MI (lower peninsula) and went to State. Coached in College and NFL, won a super bowl with chiefs, DC since 2022 at LSU. Seems like a reasonable hire.
September 19th, 2023 at 5:22 PM ^
Just look at a few past HC at MSU, except for Mork Dantonio, they had John L Smith, then Mel after Mork. Bobby Williams. All were short term with Williams 3 yrs, John L 4 yrs, Mork went 6. Only George Perles, 1983-1994 went 12 years, the longest since Duffy at 19 years ending 1972.
The point is, what's the odds that their next HC will last no more than 3,4 or 5 years?
Answer: because MSU thinks that they are on the same level as Michigan, OSU 'Bama or Penn State.
September 19th, 2023 at 5:47 PM ^
Mork went 6
Mork was there for 13 years
September 19th, 2023 at 6:38 PM ^
This stat strikes me as unusual --- MSU has had only one coach in the last 100 years (among 15 different coaches, not counting either Morris Watts or Harlon Barnett) who had a stint from 6-11 years.
And that one coach (Clarence Munn) comes with an asterisk. He won a national Title and certainly was welcome to stay, but he wanted to be AD and his departure set up Duffy Daugherty's College HoF-level career.
They tend to be "home run or strikeout" as regards their hires.
September 19th, 2023 at 7:02 PM ^
Thought 6 sounded weird.
September 19th, 2023 at 5:39 PM ^
Logged in to upvote. Had been looking for Creighton name drop. Agree they should hire CC (if they cannot get LL), but certain they will make another JV hire, because Sparty gonna Sparty.
September 19th, 2023 at 7:38 PM ^
Spartans think Creighton isn’t a big enough or sexy enough name. They literally think they would be Alabama if not for a few bad breaks.
September 19th, 2023 at 9:31 PM ^
Why not look at CMU’s coach? I hear he only gets kinky around sharks.
September 20th, 2023 at 3:48 AM ^
That's what I've heard, too
September 19th, 2023 at 11:24 PM ^
I've been continually surprised that Creighton has stuck at EMU as long as he has. I know he's in his mid-50's, but I would think his body of work would merit more interest at MSU-esque jobs.
September 20th, 2023 at 1:14 AM ^
If they're smart, they'd go for someone like Creighton. Or they could just do what they do and try to lure Hugh Freeze. Get revenge on them for the Peyton Thorne transfer. Hey, maybe Thorne still has eligibility and would want to transfer back to msu if Freeze takes the job.
September 20th, 2023 at 10:17 AM ^
He's 48-62 at EMU. We know how tough that job is and that he's done extremely well by their standards, but a lot of people unfamiliar with EMU will just see him as a G5 coach with a losing record.
September 20th, 2023 at 1:41 PM ^
All the more reason MSU would be wise to hire him. Dantonio had a record of 18-17 when MSU hired him.
September 19th, 2023 at 5:12 PM ^
Just not Mark Stopps.
September 19th, 2023 at 5:18 PM ^
I really do not think Stoops would even take the job.
September 20th, 2023 at 12:17 AM ^
Mark wouldn't...stoop to taking it?
September 20th, 2023 at 2:05 PM ^
But we could go back to using Mork Part Deux.
September 19th, 2023 at 9:49 PM ^
Kentucky is a better job
September 20th, 2023 at 5:44 AM ^
Idk if it’s a “better” job. Lateral move maybe. Certainly not enough of a “better job” to warrant a move though.
September 20th, 2023 at 8:14 AM ^
Both are middling programs. Both take a back seat to the basketball programs. However, one is in East Lansing. That certainly elevates Kentucky over Staee.
September 20th, 2023 at 9:01 AM ^
Lexington is a great city, especially if you like bourbon and horses.
September 20th, 2023 at 8:55 AM ^
Mark Stoops has the best job in the country. A perfect blend of pay, recruiting territory, and tempered expectations. He should never leave, so long as the athletic department is good with consistent bowl games and occasional 9+ win seasons.
MSU with an athletic department plagued by scandal is a massive career drop.
September 19th, 2023 at 5:13 PM ^
Hugh Freeze, come on down!
September 19th, 2023 at 5:20 PM ^
Great call. Perfect cultural fit.
September 20th, 2023 at 12:19 AM ^
His first hire? Bobby Petrino.
September 20th, 2023 at 9:03 AM ^
LOL. Petrino would be the quintessential Sharty move.
September 19th, 2023 at 5:16 PM ^
I think they have to consider Bill Dexhart.
September 19th, 2023 at 5:17 PM ^
Mike Elko
September 19th, 2023 at 10:01 PM ^
Mike Elko would be a really good hire for MSU. Great coach. But I don't want MSU to be any sort of good so I hope they don't go after him.