Mel Tucker denies MSU and is staying at Colorado
February 8th, 2020 at 6:58 PM ^
I'm starting to think that these interviews are just so MSU can hire Tressell & if (when) it doesn't work out save face by him being a totally fallback option.
February 8th, 2020 at 7:08 PM ^
What interviews? Everyone has turned down the interview except (reportedly) Fickell.
February 8th, 2020 at 9:15 PM ^
I just feel like this is all coming out because they have Fickell locked up. Kinda like the coaches who "turned down" the Michigan job when going after Harbaugh. Just a feeling though.
February 8th, 2020 at 11:10 PM ^
Because this guy strikes you as a mastermind of an AD?
February 9th, 2020 at 1:58 PM ^
The Luke Fickle contract should be completed today.
February 8th, 2020 at 7:00 PM ^
RCMB seems to be pretty confident in getting Fickell. He hasn’t stated anything in public either.
February 8th, 2020 at 7:09 PM ^
I mean he has. He said he hasn’t been contacted by anybody. He can’t comment on anything because nobody has talked to him about anything.
Take that as meaning whatever you want, but he certainly has commented publicly about it.
February 8th, 2020 at 9:03 PM ^
Yea, but that’s a pretty much a non-statement. His lawyer and/or agent has certainly been contacted, saying that he personally hasn’t been contacted tells us almost nothing.
February 9th, 2020 at 6:41 AM ^
Cincinnati fans on Reddit also are saying Fickell has never publicly turned down a job. There was a story in the Athletic that said the WVU job was essentially Fickell's if he wanted it but he turned it down quietly, in private. If all of this is true, I wouldn't use Fickell's lack of public statement as a telling point either way.
February 8th, 2020 at 7:05 PM ^
Key hashtag here is #Culture. Love it.
MSU is a dumpster fire not just from a current roster perspective, but all the crap Morek Digornio left for others to clean up. Not sure why any coach would take a lateral move into that role.
MSU was never and will never be a nationally relevant program. Like Baylor, when scandal hits historically mediocre, regional programs (specifically after their golden era), it takes decades and a lot of luck (or SEC type $) to rebound.
Unlike the Penn State's of the world, MSU with have a much harder time "healing"
February 8th, 2020 at 7:13 PM ^
"MSU was never and will never be a nationally relevant program."
I know I'm talking about years long before you were born, but it's not accurate to say MSU has never been nationally relevant.
February 9th, 2020 at 12:19 PM ^
Uh it's not accurate as of 5 years ago even. They finished #3, #5, and #6 from 2013-15 winning a Rose Bowl and Cotton Bowl. I'd kill for that.
February 9th, 2020 at 3:51 PM ^
True, but arguably the best coach in college football history couldn’t win in EL and couldn’t get out fast enough.
February 8th, 2020 at 8:04 PM ^
Uh..... Baylor just won 11 games this year.....
February 8th, 2020 at 7:10 PM ^
It's either Fickell or they're going to stick with Tressel. Despite what RCMB believes, a lot of more media types I've read seem to think it's Tressel because Dantonio is still quite popular at MSU and the AD is likely to listen to him. Also, MSU doesn't pay THAT well as a school, and if I'm Fickell I'm going to want hazard pay to coach a team with little talent and stuck in a really tough division. We'll see shortly is my guess.
February 8th, 2020 at 7:24 PM ^
"and stuck in a really tough division."
Fickell currently has to deal with UCF, Temple, South Florida, East Carolina, UConn, Memphis, Navy, SMU, Tulane, Houston, and Tulsa.
Exchanging that murderer's row for OSU, PSU, and UM every season, with WI, Iowa, and MN as possibilities for cross-division games seems like a poor deal, esp. with a Spartan team that's currently depleted.
February 8th, 2020 at 7:38 PM ^
And he enjoys a recruiting advantage at Cincy compared to other G5 programs he wouldn't at MSU. Again, he may decide to give it a shot and I do think he's a better coach than he was at OSU, but MSU is a rebuild job with a lower ceiling than a lot of places.
February 8th, 2020 at 9:50 PM ^
I think the point also needs to be made that the unrealistic expectations the MSU fan base will have given the previous Dantanio success a few years back makes this job a lose lose. Cupboards are bare, recruiting is extremely tough in this region, and the competition is only getting stronger. There would be many other P5 programs I would look at before MSU and that’s not even mentioning all the cover ups and allegations of this whole sports program.
February 8th, 2020 at 7:40 PM ^
Not to mention that a Fickell coached UC would almost surely kick the shit out of a Fickell coached MSU. MSU's roster is absolutely terrible.
February 8th, 2020 at 9:27 PM ^
Temple beat Maryland the last two times they have played...ease up on the murderers row...
February 8th, 2020 at 7:51 PM ^
Dantonio is still quite popular at MSU and the AD is likely to listen to him.
That's a nice way of saying the support of Dantonio and Izzo is the only reason Beekman has that job at all, and he's unlikely to risk that chair to hire someone Dantonio doesn't want hired. What Lola wants, Lola gets. If he wants Tressel badly enough, Beekman will make it happen.
February 8th, 2020 at 7:10 PM ^
Huh... some people here were stating very confidently that the deal for Fickell was going to be announced yesterday.
I sure as hell wouldn't leave Boulder—and the Rockies—for East Lansing.
February 8th, 2020 at 7:22 PM ^
Fickell is announced every day..until he is or maybe isn't.
February 8th, 2020 at 7:29 PM ^
Fickell’s indecisive mysterious silence is Dantonio’s smoke screen at the moment, running a favor for an old friend. So were going hear. “O gee we just ran out of time.” So MSU hires Tressel to some funky contract so the old Mark crew will have one year to prove their worth. It will fail. This could (easily) be a 10 year malaise for the green and white. Like real bad.
February 8th, 2020 at 7:34 PM ^
Spartans Will....get snubbed AGAIN!
February 8th, 2020 at 7:37 PM ^
Let's see, Boulder, CO or Shithole, MI. Easy choice coach.
February 8th, 2020 at 7:43 PM ^
FWIW. Local radio type is claiming Fickell is a done deal with Tressell the only holdover from the old staff. But not as a DC?
Fickell's current DC is staying at Cincy though to take over
I didn't say it made sense.
February 8th, 2020 at 8:08 PM ^
OSU fans hearing Fick to MSU is about done per Cincy and MSU Rivals: 5 yrs/$24m
February 8th, 2020 at 8:12 PM ^
Great. Can’t wait to have Fickell getting all of OSUs leftovers again. MSU might’ve actually stumbled into a good hire.
February 8th, 2020 at 9:14 PM ^
I highly doubt OSU would let that happen again
February 8th, 2020 at 8:44 PM ^
No coach in their right mind is coming here with what the school has going on and the division they are in! If msu thinks their getting anyone decent they are not! Fickel is their only hope!!!
February 8th, 2020 at 10:19 PM ^
if what 'sharks' says above is accurate, and there's no reason to think otherwise, there's plenty of people that would take that job no matter the possible dumpster fire circs as long as $24 million comes along with it. heck, i'd take the job for $24 million.
at that amount of money it would not be surprising at all that fickell would leave comfortable confines of cincy and journey to EL.
February 8th, 2020 at 10:38 PM ^
You would think the AD would be looking to save money at this juncture, all things considered.
February 9th, 2020 at 8:29 AM ^
I would take that job & immediately declare that I was retaining all of the staff. Make Valenti's head explode.
February 8th, 2020 at 10:16 PM ^
Mother Tucker must be happy.
February 8th, 2020 at 10:57 PM ^
fickell will get the job. narduzzi & tucker knew it.
fickell has gone 11-2 for 2 years in a row. he'll make state decent by his 3rd year.
first couple of years should be fun, though.
February 8th, 2020 at 11:04 PM ^
right. the freep is reporting that the sparty leaders are in cincy right now. you're not flying down to cincy unless you have reached a whole lot of agreement in principal, and you now need to have a few hours of 'what ifs' and here's the paper, sign it.
February 8th, 2020 at 11:08 PM ^
I really hope the Fickell thing somehow falls through. Not because I’m afraid of Fickell but because of the epic meltdown the Sparties will have if they don’t get him. It seems like from the second Dantonio retired they have pinned all their hopes on him.
February 8th, 2020 at 11:10 PM ^
Dont blame him. I've been in Boulder and East Lansing. One is definitely nicer than the other.
February 9th, 2020 at 12:06 AM ^
This makes me think Fickell has been told that Ryan Day plans to stay at online state for a long time. Fickell probably thinks he won’t get another chance at a job in the Big Ten. Really ridiculous how lucky Michigan’s rivals seem to get. Just feels like the program is cursed.
February 9th, 2020 at 3:06 AM ^
MSU isn’t lucky. Fickell is not a good coach. He has cincy at #39 in SP+ last year. That doesn’t exactly inspire and fear in me.
February 9th, 2020 at 12:23 PM ^
Why do you post every team's S&P as if it's relevant to anything?
February 9th, 2020 at 6:33 AM ^
Fickell couldn't beat Michigan with OSU's talent and when Michigan's talent and coaching were at their nadir. He's a great hire for MSU, but it's clear by the timing that it wasn't Dantonio's choice (which seems to be Tressel). If Fickell turns out to be a Saban-like savant then he won't stick around. Odds are, though, that he'll be better than mediocre and will be gone in several years.
February 9th, 2020 at 12:36 AM ^
Why are so many of you acting like Fickell is Urban Meyer?
One thing Harbaugh has certainly done is put distance between UM and MSU. The talent difference hasn't been this significant in a long time.
He will have a massive rebuilding project at a programme w talent and resources that lags behind at least 3 teams in It's own division and Fickell isn't going to change that.
So hire Fickell, Tressell or at this point the second coming of Urban. Whomever it is they are not going to last long...especially w the Dantonio in his prime level expectations built into that programme
February 9th, 2020 at 12:40 AM ^
It'll be nearly impossible to come near Dantonio's run, but he's a very good fit for MSU. With the timing he's clearly the best option and would be a very good hire all things considered.
MSU's recruiting has sunk quite a bit and they did really well when they were getting a bunch of Ohio kids. That has gone away and Fickell will likely make MSU a big factor with Ohio kids that OSU doesn't want (and there are plenty of talented ones).
February 9th, 2020 at 3:07 AM ^
Josh Heupel and Billy Napier are both far better options, and realistic (I think).
February 9th, 2020 at 6:22 AM ^
Even with some OSU left over Ohio talent going to MSU will they out recruit OSU, PSU, UM..or even Maryland (the DC area is pretty loaded too). MSU is what 2-3 recruiting cycles behind? And even at his best Dantonio was beating up on Rich Rod and Hoke led programs and PSU was dealing with a 'few things'.
February 9th, 2020 at 8:45 AM ^
February 9th, 2020 at 8:06 AM ^
It's either a coach with no intention of leaving his current job playing along for the sake of his two good buddies (one of whom he wants to see get the job). Or he's legitimately interested.
Door 1 makes way more sense.
Either door should be a big nothing to Michigan fans. They are really in a bad place and will be for quite a while.