JonnyHintz

February 12th, 2020 at 5:08 AM ^

It’s less of a problem when you look at it as getting someone to come there, but it’s more of a problem when you’re moving forward and you’re still paying the guy and his assistants that much money.

The guy has one year of head coaching experience, and he went 5-7. Which was the same record of the team the season before he took over. Looking at MSU’s roster and their schedule, 3-4 wins seems to be the ceiling. So you’re looking at a guy making $5 million/year who will have a 9-16 record going into his second year at the school? That’s definitely a steep price. 
 

I still believe they would have been better off moving forward if they bit the bullet with Tressel and went after a guy in late November. Instead of overpaying for a huge question mark. 

Joined: 01/11/2015

MGoPoints: 48345

stephenrjking

February 12th, 2020 at 9:58 AM ^

Your thought process is sound here. MSU’s roster is a disaster, I think. They aren’t good. For all the platitudes saying you’re “building for the future,” MSU is staring down a really bad year with a really well-paid coach who hasn’t proven he can significantly improve a bad roster.

Fine, they’ll weather the storm next year. But a bad season loses you a lot of goodwill. We know this all too personally—RR’s 2008 season didn’t get him fired, but it did destroy the patience of the fanbase while forcing him to make a desperation DC hire that was a disaster. Elsewhere, FSU axed Willie Taggart after less than two years.

MSU is theoretically prepared for a rough season. But what happens if Michigan blows their doors off in EL? What if they lose to Rutgers? Tucker could be looking at a 2021 where there is real pressure to produce a winning season, but with a road trip to Ann Arbor and a strengthening Greg Schiano and no letup from OSU and PSU, with Indiana and Maryland looking like tough games.

Theory is nice, but $5 mil is a lot for a fanbase to swallow if they are actively embarrassed on the football field. 

Joined: 03/15/2012

MGoPoints: 20143860

ERdocLSA2004

February 12th, 2020 at 2:30 PM ^

This is the same blog that castrates people for saying Harbaugh is overpaid when their expectations aren’t met.  Their argument is that the university has plenty of money and that “we” aren’t paying his salary.  I see no reason why MSU is any different.  They went and yes, overpaid a coach they seemingly really want/need.  I for one wish we had gone and overpaid someone before we had to settle for Brady Hoke so many years ago.

Maybe this hire works out for them, maybe it doesn’t.  The “overpaid” rhetoric is only a useful tool for an unhappy fan base.  All coaches who are not meeting expectations are overpaid, regardless of dollar amount.

Joined: 01/08/2011

MGoPoints: 15855

JonnyHintz

February 12th, 2020 at 5:51 PM ^

But if you’re going to go out and overpay for a coach to rebuild your program, common sense would at least tell you that you go get a guy with a more proven track record of doing so. 
 

Harbaugh’s large salary was justified because of his prior success in turning Stanford into a power and his success in the NFL. At over $5 million per year, you can go out and get a more proven coach. One with more than one year of experience and a better than 5-7 record.

It isn’t JUST the money and it isn’t JUST the coach. If MSU gets the guy for $3.5 million, it’s a really good hire for them. But if they’re willing to spend that type of money, they can get the type of coach that would warrant it. Or at least is closer to warranting it than Tucker. 

Joined: 01/11/2015

MGoPoints: 48345

1201 S. Main St.

February 12th, 2020 at 8:08 PM ^

MSU had to overpay, no matter who it was they brought in.  This late in the process, when recruits have already committed, and facing possible NCAA sanctions.  Only someone who is desperate for that job takes it otherwise, they were going to have to overpay.  I mean, MSU essentially got a $3.5 million coach, but to get him to leave, they'd have to overpay him.

Joined: 10/09/2015

MGoPoints: 844

JonnyHintz

February 12th, 2020 at 8:36 PM ^

And again, if you’re going to overpay for a coach that’s one thing. But it has to be for a proven guy. Throw $7.5 at Fickell and make him say no. Aim high if you’re going to overpay. Overpaying for a major question mark isn’t a solid plan. That’s a major risk, and there’s not much that justifies making the guy a top 10 paid coach with very little merit on his resume.

 

If this is the best you can do at this point in time and you have to pay this much to do it, you’re better off waiting for a more opportune time to get a better candidate.  

Joined: 01/11/2015

MGoPoints: 48345

Couzen Rick's

February 12th, 2020 at 1:27 AM ^

Shout-out to the one guy who was posting on all the earlier threads and posts yesterday saying Mel Tucker was the guy. On God I thought he was just making some weird joke.   

Regardless of State's woes earlier this week, this is a good hire. Though it's not one that changes anything for Harbaugh/UM - Tucker hasn't coached in the Big Ten since George W. Bush's first term. Just shore up in-state recruiting and Ohio recruiting for the tier 1.5-2 OH guys OSU doesn't have room for and we should be good.

No way this guy lasts 4 years in my opinion. Either A. He flames out, or B. Is successful and takes the first SEC job that comes calling a la his mentor Saban. 

Edit: it was Double-D posting earlier

Joined: 12/22/2014

MGoPoints: 15994

wolverinestuckinEL

February 12th, 2020 at 9:00 AM ^

I think overall it's the best they could have done given Fickel saying "no thanks" to the job.  In reality the assistant pool is probably the biggest deal for them.  If Tucker can assemble a solid staff with good recruiters (and it appears he's being given the money to make that happen) and survive a couple years of getting beat down he may do ok in the long run.  He probably needs to focus everything on recruiting in the short term though, those fans will overlook the win/loss record next year if he can get a top 20 class signed on for 2021.

Joined: 09/21/2010

MGoPoints: 3048

ahw1982

February 12th, 2020 at 3:01 PM ^

He's won two national championships (w/ OSU and Alabama), he's from the Saban coaching tree, and he has NFL experience.  He's got some glaring downsides in that most of his institutional success has been when he was a DB coach and his record as a coordinator or higher is pretty bad.

That said, I'd say he's a good hire in the sense that I can't think of anyone who would've been better. 

There's an argument that they should've gone with an interim for a year to try to weather the storm for a better hire in 2021, but I'd argue that their current roster is a dumpster fire and MSU can't afford to go through a recruiting cycle with an interim and if they did there's a good chance 1) they end up in a worse place in terms of attracting good candidates, and 2) next year they have to compete with better schools for HC candidates (USC, Texas, Nebraska, Miami, Houston, UCLA could all conceivably be looking for HC's next year).

Joined: 06/09/2010

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TheCube

February 12th, 2020 at 1:56 AM ^

It’s fine and dandy if you go back n forth without making a public decision but yikes.... making a public exclamation and then leaving over midnight? Lol 

Meanwhile players testing the transfer portal has coaches all in a tizzy. 

Joined: 12/19/2018

MGoPoints: 31594

NRK

February 12th, 2020 at 1:55 PM ^

Nope... if you search "waffle guy msu" this is the first picture in google images.

 

And not even technically a photoshop! Did it on my work computer which doesn't have such niceties (home computer does), this is a Paint 3D special.

Joined: 02/20/2009

MGoPoints: 6411