If Dantono retires soon, what can MSU reasonably expect in a replacement?
I don't think Dantoneo will ever be fired, but it seems like he's probably not going to be around in East Lansing much longer (for all the reasons that don't need to be articulated here). He was, by all accounts, an excellent coach for them, resurrecting their program from the abysmal days of Bobby Williams and John L. Smith, and even taking them to the playoff one year. Of course some of his success can be attributed to the down years of Michigan and Penn State during his tenure, but he brought a sense of toughness and pride to that team that they hadn't had since Saban was their coach. I absolutely hate the guy, but that fact alone says something about his stewardship of that program. I didn't really hate John L. Smith.
So my question is, how attractive a job is MSU if Dantoneo leaves? Could they, for example, make a run at someone like PJ Fleck, or would that be a lateral move for Fleck? MSU doesn't seem to care a ton about ethics, so would they go after someone like Sarkesian, who I think is (despite his checkered past) a solid football mind? Or does MSU need to find a diamond in the rough sort of coach -- an up-and-comer mid-major sort of guy?
Right now Dantonoe makes about 4.5 million, give or take a few hundred thousand for bonuses etc. How much coach could that kind of money buy, and would it be possible to make MSU an attractive destination for 4 and 5-star recruits? Obviously they would need to commit some money to facilities upgrades and so on, but it could be done.
November 11th, 2019 at 12:00 AM ^
Dude, just wait a week at least
November 11th, 2019 at 7:42 AM ^
Convinced none of these cocky idiots actually went to school when Michigan would go into this game 5-0 only to get crushed. Every. Year. This game is not comfortable yet these morons still think it’ll be a cakewalk
November 11th, 2019 at 7:46 AM ^
Hubris
November 11th, 2019 at 10:15 AM ^
I'm not a cocky idiot. I was under the impression that Dantonio would likely retire soon. Also you've been a member of this board for 10 months so don't act you're some wort of wizened veteran.
November 11th, 2019 at 10:56 AM ^
What gives you the impression he's likely to retire soon? I get the sense he wouldn't go out like this.
November 11th, 2019 at 2:15 PM ^
During the Penn State broadcast the announcers said they asked Dantonio about next year, and rather than give the answer every coach gives to avoid hurting recruiting, he said, "I'm living in the moment." That, combined with a general sentiment from seemingly everyone in East Lansing that this is it, gives the very strong impression it might be.
Open question as to whether his retirement would be good or bad for MSU's future. A few years ago, a statement like that would have been unthinkable. Now the answer is unclear.
Also, they were very senior-heavy next year, so the thinking by most was that they had a real shot to contend in the East this year, but that they would be very young for the next couple of years. If Dantonio were on the edge of hanging it up or coming back, that could be a factor. Similar to Carr coming back in 2007 when he thought seriously about retiring after 2006.
November 11th, 2019 at 7:53 AM ^
Tressell
Nardu
McElwain
Baby Belicheik
Lane/Sark
November 11th, 2019 at 8:55 AM ^
McElwain would be a very solid hire.
November 11th, 2019 at 10:07 AM ^
I think Nick Saban could win in East Lansing.
November 11th, 2019 at 10:42 AM ^
One of the top two is what I'm hearing from E. Lansing and no, I'm not an insider and don't pretend to be, I just have friends there, as odd as that sounds.
November 11th, 2019 at 11:36 AM ^
This Baby Belichick? Or are you talking about Josh McDaniels?
November 11th, 2019 at 12:00 AM ^
John L. Smith
November 11th, 2019 at 12:51 AM ^
What did the five fingers say to the face?
November 11th, 2019 at 1:17 AM ^
SLAP!
November 11th, 2019 at 12:02 AM ^
I don't think they move on from MD until they hire a permanent AD. He could retire though. He knows the status of the cupboard up there. I hope they don't hire Norvell. I think a guy like Creighton (SP?) would be a good fit.
November 11th, 2019 at 12:10 AM ^
I don't think Norvell would leave Memphis for MSU.
No connection to the Midwest and he'll probably getting higher profile offers soon. Florida State and Arkansas off the top of my head.
November 11th, 2019 at 6:25 AM ^
That's not how MSU goes about it. They're very regional.
Saban would never have been considered if he wasn't already on Perles' staff.
November 11th, 2019 at 7:24 AM ^
There’s a rumor that going back to MSU is Saban’s dream. He’s tired of winning with 5*s.
November 11th, 2019 at 1:02 PM ^
Well, to be fair, he's put himself in a position where he has to win every game to have a successful year.
If he went back to MSU, he could win one game a year and get a statue built of him, as long as it's the right one.
November 11th, 2019 at 12:10 AM ^
Emu taken big step backwards this year. Creighton definitely got most out of that program but look at his record in close games it's very bad.
Fwiw- one the most respected cfb bettors I know who watches everything closely claims Creighton in game is one of the worst he's ever seen.
November 11th, 2019 at 12:33 AM ^
That very well may be the case. I have only seen a couple EMU games. But, I have seen their facilities so I still think what he has done there is very impressive. Especially, considering where that program was before him.
November 11th, 2019 at 12:47 AM ^
I mean, at least EMU beat Illinois.....
November 11th, 2019 at 5:56 AM ^
Apparently because the beard hadn't gotten quite long enough yet.
November 11th, 2019 at 6:25 AM ^
Does he think Creighton is worse than Frames?
November 11th, 2019 at 12:24 AM ^
Dantonio & Izzo both endorsed Beekman for the AD job in 2018.
I think I know why - they both know that Beekman is scared of them both. Having an unqualified, Engler-appointed, dumb MSU lifer as AD is good for their job security.
So, I expect either (1) Dantonio back in 2020 or (2) if Dantonio retires, he basically names his replacement. Which will either be Mike Tressel or Narduzzi.
None of those 3 scenarios would make me fear MSU football.
But, that's what it's going to be as long as Beekman is up there. Gradual football program atrophy under a completely incompetent puppet AD.
November 11th, 2019 at 6:23 AM ^
Agreed
MSU is in no position to fire Dantonio. It's not just the powerless AD, and the buyout, but it would divide their fanbase. It's not a situation a coach with other good options will want to step into.
If Dantonio steps down early, he knows he's doing them a favor. He's going to take care of his assistants and want to name his replacement.
MSU would be better of going with Tressel over Narduzzi. I'm not that impressed with Narduzzi at Pitt. Tressel will come a lot cheaper and they can easily dump him in a couple of years if things aren't going well. That's when they can go outside the program and get a promising young coach.
November 11th, 2019 at 9:43 AM ^
After MIchigan rails MSU by 20+, i don't think their will be a fan base to divide. It will be 90% one sided. Really, its already 75% one sided.
November 11th, 2019 at 10:39 AM ^
Loudmouth fans on the internet? Yeah, those percentages are probably about right for them. They skew our view of the fanbase. Imagine what rival fans would think looking at our gameday threads some weeks.
Dantonio has a deep level of support and has already rebounded from 3-9 once. What percentage of former players would come out and attack the move? That could get ugly. I'd guess the majority of their fanbase is unhappy, but thinks Dantonio should be able to leave on his own terms.
November 11th, 2019 at 9:55 PM ^
I hope they hire Tressel. Because then we could exact some revenge against that asshole.
November 11th, 2019 at 6:38 AM ^
I'd be surprised if they went for Tressel, and I'd be surprised if Tressel accepted. He's 67 years old, and he seems comfortably settled as president of Youngstown State.
Narduzzi is the sentimental pick, as he was the architect of some really good defenses when he was at MSU. But his record at Pitt is only 'meh,' and it's not obvious he'd light MSU back on fire.
Luke Fickell is the candidate most mentioned, but I'm struggling to see Fickell choosing MSU. I think he'll have better opportunities. I could be wrong. We'll see.
November 11th, 2019 at 7:12 AM ^
Too much sun in AZ, Don. They are referring to Mike Tressel, their DC.
November 11th, 2019 at 7:39 AM ^
Ah, my bad ... thanks for the update!
November 11th, 2019 at 7:39 AM ^
To add, Mike is Jim's nephew.
November 11th, 2019 at 8:32 AM ^
The trash fans would love narduzzi bc it would give them something to hold onto the beating UM era. At the same time, that is best case scenario for us bc he’s not that good.
November 11th, 2019 at 10:23 AM ^
Luke Fickell would be #1 choice if I were Sparty.
November 11th, 2019 at 12:44 PM ^
Luke Fickell would be my best bet. Offer him $5M and he'll take it. Better MSU than Arkansas or maybe FSU.
November 11th, 2019 at 7:30 AM ^
Dantonio will retire and be named AD and name Tressel the HC.
November 11th, 2019 at 8:59 AM ^
This is how I read it too. Mike Tressel or Narduzzi.
November 11th, 2019 at 11:07 AM ^
That Engler hire is going to continue to haunt an already-haunted institution.
November 11th, 2019 at 12:05 AM ^
Fleck just signed an extension last week with a HUGE buyout first couple years. He isn't going anywhere for now plus he's on the right side of things division wise.
Best route seems to be doing what Baylor, Minnesota, Louisville, Purdue, Iowa State, Kansas State etc have done which is find a younger proven guy who's won consistently at a smaller program. Be smart go after Cincinnati coach or something like that.
November 11th, 2019 at 12:15 AM ^
Talk radio in GR said State will go after Fleck if Mirk is gone. But who knows.
November 11th, 2019 at 1:00 AM ^
Why would Fleck want a rebuild in the Big Ten East when he has Minnesota primed in the West and can land a national program when he is ready to move?
MSU would be a lateral move and bad decision.
November 11th, 2019 at 7:12 AM ^
No, staee would be a step down. There days as a national program are long gone.
November 11th, 2019 at 8:01 AM ^
November 11th, 2019 at 8:06 AM ^
Who? Big Drew and Jim? Those two guys know absolutely nothing about football.
November 11th, 2019 at 10:20 AM ^
Holy shit sometimes I turn it on because it's the only option in GR. I usually make it about 15 seconds before I have to turn it off because Jim is sooooooo bad. I do not know how that show is so popular.
November 11th, 2019 at 1:07 AM ^
This is a great point. Why would any aspiring coach want to head into a division with a dominant OSU, a competitive PSU and UM solid. It seems like a tough road to go.
Dantonio isn't going anywhere anytime soon unless he wants to. He will want to leave on a higher note.
November 11th, 2019 at 9:44 AM ^
There was a rumor back when Fleck left WMU for Minnesota that there was a divorce / custody issue that limited his potential destinations to midwest states. If the ex-wife and kid are still in-state (MI), then that could be a big motivation for Fleck to look into MSU should it be open.
November 11th, 2019 at 11:20 AM ^
Because you'd want to move closer to your ex-wife....
November 11th, 2019 at 9:39 AM ^
Sparty can't afford him or any of these other "name" coaches. You have to throw a boatload of cash to a coach for them to coach in a division where you have almost no shot at the playoffs.
If they were smart, they'd kick the tires on Mark Richt. He's solid, not at the top of many coaching lists right now, and had a heart attack a few weeks ago. The Dantonio train didn't hit full speed until he had his heart attack.