Wilcher out at MSU
https://www.diehardsport.com/college-football/former-top-hs-michigan-coach-no-longer-on-msus-staff/
I haven't seen anything on this, so apologies if it's already been posted. I remember 2 years ago that this was going to be a big hire for them and really up their recruiting chops. Now that he is being let go, will this hurt in-state recruiting for them moving forward? Being in Cincinnati, Im not sure how much pull he had in the state beyond Cass Tech, so hoping some of you might be better to speculate what happened and the impact it might have. Thx!wonder if 7LMel not paying his assistants is hurting now
Technically, I believe his assistants were paid. MeLLLLLLL just held on to their bonuses.
This just reinforces the idea that Mel needs (and deserves) more money.
The cost of living is pretty high in EL, and $9M / year doesn’t go as far as it used to.
I really fear there’s no COLA or “auto raise” clause in his contract, so the inflation we’re experiencing is impacting his quality of life.
"just" held on to their bonuses.
Taco Tuesday special
Mel Tucker is such a classless d-bag
What's makes you think he's classless? His temper tantrums on the sideline at the last Michigan game? Or the fact he encouraged cheap shots on Michigan players?
Other than those he seems like a stand up guy.
SD 
To your comment — I really doubt that the Tucker $100k bonus story is anything more than an urban legend at this point - like some of the stupid Harbaugh stories that Sparty loves to repeat. If it really happened as described, Tucker is either a narcissist to an unbelievable degree or really dumb - I doubt he is either.
As for the topic - the Wilcher hire seemed to be more for show than substance at the time. I am all for an M alumni succeeding, but he wasn’t brought in as a coach which directly hurt short-term recruiting at Cass. As a recruiting hire he had the relationships in the Detroit area but both Belleville and West Bloomfield had been out recruiting him at that level for a few years. (I admit I have little concept of how kids get “recruited” to change schools in HS)
Compare this with Bellamy - M took the greater risk to hire him as a coach at this level but they still had access to his former players. He had proven himself as both a coach and recruiter building up West Bloomfield. And I believe he is significantly younger which means the risk of using a coaching slot would pay higher dividends long term when/if he succeeded.
In retrospect I think Wilcher’s best window if he really wanted to move to college was probably at M during late-Rich Rod and/or the early Hoke staffs. Cass Tech was the power of SE Michigan HS football, The restrictive “must be a coach” recruiting limits were not yet in place and he would have been a great fit to prop-up Rodriguez in local recruiting or the nostalgia factor of the early Hoke regime. I am not sure if he didn’t have the desire at the time or just didn’t get the opportunity.
April 13th, 2023 at 10:43 PM ^
I really doubt that the Tucker $100k bonus story is anything more than an urban legend at this point
No, that really happened. One of the staffers he stiffed tipped off USA Today, who confirmed it with specific open-records requests.
In response to an open-records request, Michigan State provided a university “Additional Payment Form” dated July 14, 2022, that reported Tucker was being paid $100,000 and carried in a notation in the comments section that read “June Annual Bonus.”
April 13th, 2023 at 11:21 PM ^
That info at face value indicates full on A-hole and the insider leak aspect gives a lot of credence to it.
I was thinking this can be true and Tucker still not be a Dick. How many staffers work for MSU football? - I would guess at least 100 between coaches, GAs, analysts, recruiting staff, strength staff, training table staff, nutritionists, medical support, admin etc. plus many more indirectly. How do you divide 100k fairly amongst that group?
What I would do in that situation is take all the money, pay the taxes, and rent a resort for a weekend or throw a huge event for the entire staff at my expense — heck you could even offer gift cards for $X to those who could not or chose not to attend. —
only issue with my theory is that someone probably would have let that info out once the bad press arose….
Poor Mel has a family to feed!
Someone please explain the 7LMel joke for someone like me who missed it...
EDIT:. geez, it's 7 losses... /slapsselfinface
Anyone need a new vanity plate?
M45-O23 would be a good vanity plate. Definitely.
Posting that gif is predictable as hell but it never loses its charm. So Sparty. John L, the gift that keeps on giving.
Losing 3-4 of their best recruiting assets certainly isn't great for them and it also doesn't sound like any of them were fired
Their 2024 class is pretty freaking sad right now. They only have 3 commits: 2 are 4* CBs who probably are only in the class because MSU's secondary is putrid and they think they can play early and a 3* OL whose second best offer is Illinois
Who was the OL's best offer?
MSU debatably, but now that I think about it Illinois and Cincy might be better offers lol
'Whose best offer is Illinois.'
FIFY
Yeah, as long as Bert is the HC, Illinois isn't a bad destination for an ambitious OL. Certainly a step above MSU.
And I would also be stunned if they hang on to the 8th best CB in the class who is from Florida.
Some of us who grew up with no snow get excited about living somewhere with it. Reality is that it's freezing outside and skies are gray for a majority of the year. Rough.
Given how hard Spartans (and Buckeyes and Irish) fans were banging the drum on Michigan's '23 class at the same point in the cycle last year, let's pump the breaks a little on class rankings at this juncture.
Tucker COOOOOOLED on all them!!
The same guys he said 2 years ago would bring Sparta into the new century! ALSO he has cool dogs and cars in his social! Hopefully he doesnt COOL on the dogs because they are not swaggy enough! Did I mention cigars!? And dogs? And cars! LOL 9M for this guy.
He also booted some loser from Wisconsin he hired to run the recruiting program! HUGE HIRE PER THE RCMB 24 months ago because as we all know... NO ONE RECRUITS LIKE WISCONSIN!
All this nonsense with Matt I pumping NIL funds into the program and most recruits who care about anything aside money don't care. Another program built on mercenaries but not even the best ones.
Getting offered by Bert is a big endorsement.
My educated guess would be that we will forget about this coach by days end. Zero impact on anything.
April 14th, 2023 at 10:40 AM ^
"This coach"
Wilcher was a RB for Michigan from 1983 to 1986, lettering his junior and senior seasons. He was also the Michigan record-holder for best time in the 110m hurdles from 1986 to 2022.
The powers that be in EL need to provide an extension and raise for their head football coach. He’s making exceptional decisions. I love what he’s doing. Don’t change a thing (except pay him more…)
SD4L
Why so conservative? They should make him AD and give him control over his own compensation and the recruiting in other sports. Then he can also name himself Coach Emeritus.
Dude whenever I see that stupid acronym I immediately think "suckin dick 4 lyfe."
Nothin wrong with liking dongs but like... is there no self awareness? It's like trying to give your kid a clever name but it rhymes with chode.
I didn’t create the acronym - though, it does seem to fit.
Mel is exceptional, perfect in every way. Needs to be given an immediate lifetime contract and full autonomy to operate the program. MSU would be foolish not to. Seriously, hire him forever. Make him a SD4L.
Urban Dictionary’s definition of SD4L is….um……https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=SD4L
Hey, they came up with the brand not me.
https://www.sd4l.net/
Only $5.99/mo. Get all the SD4L you want.
OK, you got me to violate all of my work IT protocols by clicking on the link. But it was worth it.
Oh my. The cringe.
I don't follow 7LMel...(shocker) but has he posted anything like this after that shit season?
Lots of Sparta, dogs, cigars, sneakers, did I mention cars cigars dogs ? Not a word about losing his top recruiters tho. Strange.
Both DL coaches, their Detroit school connection, and recruiting director all gone. You hate to see it.
There was an initial gasp by Michigan fans that it would affect instate recruiting and then nothing happened. In the end letting him go might do more damage than hiring him helped.
Tuck going national.
He’s going to exploit the JUCO market.
7LMel cliche machine
Looks like he's drowning that program in the deep end.
Unhinged coach, unhinged program. Good fit.
Bleedinblue, to post a link, click the icon that looks like a link in a chain at the top of the Comment box.
I don't know how much impact he had over there, but I never liked that he was there. He's a former U-M player and had been a good friend of our program when he coached at Cass Tech. Hopefully he can find some other way to help us out.
I know Wilcher is far from the only former Michigan player to have coached for one of our rivals, but it still stuck in my craw that he took a job there. Harbaugh should have him over for dinner to pick his brain about Tucker's program.
It's unrelated, but a friendly reminder to all of us, me included, that Harbaugh tried to get the HC job at MSU and I think it was because Lloyd (and Bo as AD) spurned him for Loeffler as our QB coach. I might have the timing off but both happened.
Really?
Tucker's program: "I got lucky that an associate coach found Kenneth Walker and I made 6M more a year due to him and I should pay a commission to that guy forever. He made my career. Aside that I am a horseshit coach who is sub .500 when not having KWIII in my program. Do you want a PhD to break this out or can we get on with eating hamburgers?"
Well we had Dan enos for about 5 hrs