Matt Campbell tells MSU that he is "not interested"
Matt Campbell, the coach of Iowa State reportedly quickly rebuffed the idea that he may be interested in leaving Ames for MSU. In my opinion, this would have been a home run hire as Campbell is considered one of the better up and coming Power 5 coaches. From his perspective, probably the right call. Most likely a lateral move and to a more difficult division.
February 5th, 2020 at 1:54 PM ^
Not surprising. But it sounds like Fickell was their top choice and Sparty people are saying it’s a done deal.
February 5th, 2020 at 2:06 PM ^
sparty people also said Matt D’Anton did nothing and there was nothing to see here re: literally any of the shady stuff he did his entire career.
February 5th, 2020 at 4:27 PM ^
I wanted to see their reaction so I went over to RCMB. It was glorious. The majority of the board thinks he was truthful when he said the pending lawsuit had nothing to do with his departure. They also think, I shit you not, that his recruiting dropped off because of how honest he is. Multiple people had anecdotes about how their friend’s kid was recruited by MSU and didn’t go there because Mork was so honest and wouldn’t promise them anything, whether it be playing time or money/gifts. It was really something
February 5th, 2020 at 1:56 PM ^
Fickell would be a crazy good hire. I can’t see it happening, but if he comes into MSU and beats Harbaugh he’s going to be THE hot coaching candidate.
February 5th, 2020 at 1:59 PM ^
That's why they should go for Narduzzi. Fickell has no connection to MSU and would just use it as a springboard to another program. Narduzzi would be less likely to do that. Plus, if he hasn't gotten many calls while he's at Pitt, what are the odds he'd be looked at differently while at MSU?
February 5th, 2020 at 2:02 PM ^
I totally agree. Fickell, assuming he’s good there, would be another Saban. He’d there just long enough to prove himself and then bounce to an upgrade job.
February 5th, 2020 at 2:31 PM ^
I think it will be Narduzzi.
February 5th, 2020 at 2:37 PM ^
I hope so. Nardawg sucks and UM owes him a few ass kickings.
February 5th, 2020 at 2:39 PM ^
I don't see why either or any up and coming coach would want it. Fickell could but it's late in the game with winter conditioning just about midway through and not much time for spring ball to get an offense and defense installed. Then to get your staff assembled in time and s&c program for the summer could be an absolute disaster. Fickell will be in line for better jobs by waiting and much better situations.
Fleck or Narduzzi it's a lateral move into a much worse situation. Narduzzi possibly because of history but he's a rough season from being out at Pitt and I don't think would generate any buzz. Altogether a disaster.
February 5th, 2020 at 4:02 PM ^
I can’t fathom why someone like Fickel would even be interested. Any established coach that views MSU as a stepping stone type job would be insane to go there now. 3 years of mediocrity, less than no semblance of offense or skill players and a cratered recruiting year, not to mention the Blackwell thing hanging over your head.
February 5th, 2020 at 2:37 PM ^
Fickell isn’t heating Harbaugh, couldn’t even beat Brady Hoke
February 5th, 2020 at 2:46 PM ^
Derp.
He took over on short notice with a not yet ready QB and a bunch of guys suspended. If you think that says anything about anything in 2020 you need to take off the homer glasses.
February 5th, 2020 at 4:30 PM ^
Fickell's a better coach today, but his roster is going to be a lot worse, at least for the next couple of seasons.
February 5th, 2020 at 4:36 PM ^
For sure. MSU is possible worse than 10th best in the big based on talent.
However, 2020 fickell is a much better coach than both 2010 fickell and 2019 mork. He would be a huge upgrade over mork’s corpse.
February 5th, 2020 at 4:51 PM ^
Person I'd like least there is Fickell. He's a good coach and great recruiter with crazy contacts in the Midwest, especially Ohio. He'd be able to get just about anyone in that state OSU didn't prioritize.
I'd personally like for it to be Narduzzi. He'd be just enough of a warm body there to keep them happy, the status quo and old enough to stay there until retirement and keep them mired in their present capacity.
February 5th, 2020 at 6:34 PM ^
Hoke lost to Rutgers
February 5th, 2020 at 3:00 PM ^
2011 interim coach Fickell =/= 2020 head coach Fickell
February 5th, 2020 at 3:14 PM ^
Take your nuanced opinion somewhere else.
February 5th, 2020 at 2:01 PM ^
So... 2nd tier corn school > 2nd tier Michigan school? I buy that. Not sarcasm. It just may be a better gig. Also EL is the bizzaro world of Ames.
February 5th, 2020 at 2:01 PM ^
Not aiming high enough.
Meyer, Urban
Saban, Nick
Belichick, William
Death
February 5th, 2020 at 2:27 PM ^
i kid you not yossarian, but i have a one-off, maybe a two-off connection to sparty coaching who was actually touting u meyer. i can't see it ever happening for a host of reasons, but hey, we'll find out one way or the other.
February 5th, 2020 at 2:59 PM ^
That’s wild!
If Urban does want to coach again why in the world would he go to a program that needs a complete rebuild? I know there was some USC smoke but it would be a heck of a lot easier to get USC going than MSU
February 6th, 2020 at 8:38 AM ^
Someone called Kanell and McElroy yesterday and threw Urban's name out. Kanell laughed out loud, and McElroy immediately said "that ain't happening"
They threw out Narduzzi, Fickell, and the HC at Buffalo (Liepold?) and one called mentioned Creighton at Eastern.
February 5th, 2020 at 3:03 PM ^
You left Bob Stoops off your list.
February 5th, 2020 at 2:03 PM ^
The most Sparty thing to do is just stay with Mikey Tressel and shuffle the deck chairs. If they decided to cast a wider net, but still want MSU ties, maybe 49'ers DC Robert Saleh who was a defensive assistant 2002-3 and earned a grad degree while in EL.
February 5th, 2020 at 2:05 PM ^
Saleh would be a fantastic hire, but I don't see him leaving a Super Bowl defense to come and coach a mid-tier B1G program in a really really really tough division that isn't inheriting a lot at the moment.
Plus Saleh will likely be getting NFL job offers after next season.
February 5th, 2020 at 2:08 PM ^
But he was also Pete Carol's "Quality Control Guy", so he's likely a great recruiter and/or bagman.
February 5th, 2020 at 3:25 PM ^
Hopefully he won't get snapped up by then. If Patricia tanks one more year, Saleh would look good as a hometown hire for the Lions.
February 5th, 2020 at 2:03 PM ^
I don't know why any coach would take this job just with the timing alone. For example, Fickell has a fantastic recruiting class at Cincy...is he really going to walk away and come to MSU who has quite a shitty class and have to replace a lot?
Not to mention, would he be bringing his coaches with him or would he be forced to keep Dantonio's assistants?
I see MSU going the next season with Tressel and then hiring a coach. Possibly Fickell then
February 5th, 2020 at 2:04 PM ^
This MSU search is going to be like the Hoke search where MSU ends up with their 4th or 5th choice. Who wants to follow a program's "winningnest coach" after he left the cupboard bare and full of scandals. The program needs a culture reboot (morality for starters (and reserves)), but they haven't hit bottom yet.
Next MSU coach gets 3-4 years of 6-6 or worse seasons so that they can bottom out and do a complete reboot.
February 5th, 2020 at 2:10 PM ^
Is this a prediction or a wish?
February 5th, 2020 at 2:16 PM ^
Hoke followed the "winingest coach?"
February 5th, 2020 at 2:12 PM ^
MSU AD Beekman did say they will move quickly on replacing Dantonio. From a Michigan fan's perspective, them keeping Tressel on for next season has to be the best option.
It would be Dantonio-esque football without the added shenanigans from Dantonio
February 5th, 2020 at 2:17 PM ^
I believe Cincinnati’s recruiting class is ranked one spot above Staee. Still the fact that Fickell hasn’t made a statement shutting down the rumors makes me think it could actually happen.
February 5th, 2020 at 2:25 PM ^
That’s a monster class for the AAC. Fickell is rolling at Cinci.
February 5th, 2020 at 2:25 PM ^
It would be a step up in program name but Cinncy is a better team and is recruiting better. I would think Fickell could stay where he is for one more season and skip the middling but bigger name school step.
February 5th, 2020 at 3:28 PM ^
Fickell would be a fool if he didn't milk MSU interest for a raise.
February 5th, 2020 at 2:17 PM ^
Is it weird I still hope Campbell is our next HC? Would we be interested in Gattis if there was an opening and he has another strong offensive year? FWIW I'm not at all hinting JH should be canned, just that his contract is getting close to done and if he doesn't get over the OSU hump soon he may decide to give someone else a try.
February 5th, 2020 at 3:01 PM ^
Not weird.
There's tons of people, regardless of school, that would want him as their coach.
Solid move by Campbell making his stance known on Staee. He's doing well in Ames; I could even see him extending his stay there a la how long Peterson stayed in Boise.
February 6th, 2020 at 12:45 AM ^
Yes. He’s a slightly above average coach.
February 5th, 2020 at 2:20 PM ^
Whoever it ends up being will have a pretty decent re-build on their hands. Mork has run the program down and had he stayed one more season may have totally imploded it.
I imagine they'll be reincarnated as spread team. Their best bet would be to drop the whole anti-UM schtick, us against the world, and go in a totally different direction.
February 5th, 2020 at 2:25 PM ^
Their best bet would be to drop the whole anti-UM schtick, us against the world, and go in a totally different direction
It’s hard to think of such an MSU. One thing is clear though - any coach who does that better win a bunch of games, because the sparties will go crazy if someone who “doesn’t understand the culture” loses a bunch.
February 5th, 2020 at 2:35 PM ^
I kind of hope they do stick with a "MSU Man" requirement because that will limit their pool to probably a guy like Narduzzi.
February 5th, 2020 at 2:39 PM ^
I had never heard of MSU before coming to UM, so I only know the Mork version. I don’t know if they’ve always been “little bro” but it’s so much a part of my perception of them that I can’t even imagine an MSU that doesn’t really care about UM.
February 5th, 2020 at 3:09 PM ^
I had never heard of MSU before coming to UM
EXACTLY!
... and it's always been a second class institution on may different levels.
The problem with Staee and why the little bro thing has stuck all these years later is they don't celebrate their own success. They're always worried about Michigan. Even when Moo U. was going to the Rose Bowl and CFP, their concern seemed to be with tearing Michigan down.
Back when I was a kid growing up and Staee was a bottom third Big Ten team, there was definitely pecking order in the state. Not too many people outside of the MSU parts of the state rocked the boat. They knew they sucked.
But then again, that's before people moved, traveled, and social media was a thing.
February 5th, 2020 at 2:38 PM ^
I'm turning 50 next week and I can't ever remember MSU not doing the anti-UM schtick. It's why I became a UM fan when I was young.
February 5th, 2020 at 2:25 PM ^
Okay, I'll #LogOn to post some thoughts here:
1. MSU is absolutely a better job than ISU. It's not even close. MSU has a top 10 athletic dept budget, larger than Clemson, LSU, Oregon, etc. It's not Michigan/OSU/Alabama obviously, but to say that a top-40 school in ISU is equivalent or better than MSU is just Michigan bias.
2. Matt Campbell would be a moron to take THIS MSU job. If it was open Dec 3rd? Maybe he thinks about it. But FEBRUARY 4th, with signing day the next day? That's an awful position to walk into. He doesn't need to take that risk. (Same with Narduzzi, though he's not a rising star like Campbell)
3. Fickell? More plausable. Still a bad job to walk into, but he needs to stay in Ohio or a state that borders Ohio. Is he getting OSU, Michigan, PSU, or ND? If the answer is "No" or "IDK, maybe in a few years if things go right", he could jump to MSU (or a Kentucky of that was available). It's still a big pay jump, still the B1G. And for the talk about Cincy being a better job, their best recruiting class in years is still below MSUs worst in over a decade.
4. I don't think Fickell comes, because it just seems too rushed. If this was December I think he'd be in. I don't think MSU could reasonably get someone better, so I think we're going to end up staying with Tressel and hoping for the best. Can't have him be interim all year and not tank next year's recruiting too, so they'll have to go all in with him for a couple seasons and see what happens.
Wheeeee.
Edit: I stand corrected! Cincy got a 4* Commit last night and passed us on the recruiting rankings. Cmon Beekman, drop the bag!
February 5th, 2020 at 2:29 PM ^
Cyclones in a Big XII recruiting footprint in a relatively weak conference is a much better situation than the couch/tire fire in EL. You should get used to finishing 4th or worse in the B1G East.
Please.