20 Potential candidates to replace Mel Tucker as Michigan State football’s coach
Following an in-depth investigation by USA TODAY into the allegations made by Brenda Tracy against Mel Tucker, the university placed Mel Tucker on an unpaid suspension.
Operating under the assumption that Tucker has coached his last game as the head man of the Michigan State football program, as Lansing State Journal reporter Graham Couch speculated, the Spartans will be in the market for a new leader of their football program.
Check out some of the potential candidates Michigan State could look to bring in:
Criteria
When analyzing who would be “the perfect hire” for Michigan State, there are a couple of things to consider. First, ties to the Midwest are very favorable. While recruiting and the transfer portal have made the approach to roster building more national, it is still important to have ties to the Midwest or the Big Ten.
While MSU is a very family-oriented place, and an alumnus or former assistant at the university would be well received, it should not be a main focus in the search.
Lastly, it goes without saying, successful experience as a head coach or major program coordinator is a must.
Harlon Barnett (Michigan State interim HC/DBs coach)
The obvious choice to start this list is interim head coach Harlon Barnett. Barnett is a lifelong Spartan and has a wealth of experience coaching in East Lansing at a high level. If Barnett leads MSU to a successful 2023 amid the distractions, why not give him a chance at the job full time?
Courtney Hawkins (Michigan State WRs)
I wrote an opinion prior to Harlon Barnett being announced as MSU’s interim head coach about Hawkins taking over the program, and I still believe he would be a solid candidate.
Kalen DeBoer (Washington HC)
The first outside call Michigan State should make is to Kalen DeBoer. DeBoer had a successful run as the head coach at both Fresno State and Washington.
Prior to his head coaching runs, he gained his Midwest connections from being the offensive coordinator at Indiana and Eastern Michigan. DeBoer just signed a contract that lasts until 2028 and will pay him $4.2 million annually. MSU has the resources to double that number and make DeBoer an offer that would be hard to say no to.
Matt Campbell (Iowa State HC)
Campbell was one of the hottest names on the market just a few short years ago. An Ohio native, Campbell has a solid understanding of the Big Ten and its landscape. He is arguably the most successful coach in Iowa State history.
Pat Narduzzi (Pitt HC)
It wouldn’t be a Michigan State coaching candidates list without former MSU DC and current Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi.
Chris Klieman (Kansas State HC)
Chris Klieman won four national titles in five years with North Dakota State before coming to Kansas State, where his tenure has been very good thus far.
Lance Leipold (Kansas HC)
Lance Leipold has been a successful head coach everywhere he has been, from Wisconsin-Whitewater to Buffalo and now to Kansas. The Spartans could make a move to bring the program builder to town. The only hesitation would be Leipold’s age (he’s 60) and no knowledge of how much longer he wants to coach.
Brian Hartline (Ohio State OC)
One of the hottest names in the coaching world right now, Brian Hartline has helped build Ohio State’s offense into the juggernaut it is, and he would be an electrifying hire for the program.
Mike Elko (Duke HC)
Elko has turned Duke into an ACC contender in two years after taking over a program that had won 10 games in the three previous years. Elko went 9-4 in his first year and is in position to potentially win 9-plus games again.
Mike Tressel (Wisconsin DC)
Another “in the family” hire, Tressel had a successful run as an MSU assistant from 2007 to 2020. Tressel has been very successful since as the defensive coordinator of both Cincinnati and Wisconsin.
Jim Leonhard (Illinois Senior Defensive Analyst)
Jim Leonhard was one of the most coveted assistant coaches a few years ago and was the assumed heir apparent to Paul Chryst until that regime fell apart. He is still a young coach with a great deal of high-level experience and potential.
Tom Herman (Florida Atlantic HC)
Tom Herman was an assistant with Urban Meyer at Ohio State before a successful two years at Houston. There is a cloud over him because of his tenure at Texas, but he still went 32-18 with the Longhorns and knows how to recruit the landscape of the Big Ten.
He is in his first year with Florida Atlantic, a season to pay close attention to.
Bill O'Brien (New England Patriots OC)
Bill O’Brien had a successful run at a sanction-riddled Penn State program before heading off to the NFL. More recently, O’Brien spent two years as Alabama’s offensive coordinator before taking the OC job in New England.
Renaldo Hill (Miami Dolphins Pass Game Coordinator/DBs coach)
A Detroit native and former Spartan, Hill played at MSU from 1998-2000 before a 10-year NFL career. Since retiring, Hill has had a solid coaching career, highlighted by a two-year stint as the Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator.
Charles Huff (Marshall HC)
A Group of Five coach poised for a power conference job is Charles Huff. After successful assistant coaching stints with Alabama, Mississippi State and Penn State, Huff took over Marshall and has gone 18-10 thus far.
Sean Lewis (Colorado OC)
Sean Lewis won the first bowl game in Kent State history as their head man, and went 22-21 at Kent State over his last four seasons there, a very hard place to have success.
Now, he willingly left that gig to take the offensive coordinator job at Colorado, where he is taking the world by storm.
Jason Candle (Toledo HC)
Jason Candle is 55-33 in his nine-year tenure at Toledo, including two MAC championships. A noted Ohio guy, Candle would have the regional respect MSU would want in a head coach.
Dan Mullen (ESPN Analyst / Former Florida HC)
Dan Mullen is an interesting name in the coaching world. Mullen went 69-46 at Mississippi State before heading to Florida, where his tenure is viewed as unsuccessful. He did go 34-15 in Gainesville.
Kliff Kingsbury (USC QBs)
The former head coach of Texas Tech and the Arizona Cardinals, Kingsbury is young and still has a lot of juice left. So much so, that after being fired by the Cardinals, Kingsbury is coaching USC’s QBs instead of staying at home. While unlikely, a call could be made.
Mark Dantonio (Current Special Assistant/Former Head Coach)
Last but not least, what if Dantonio wanted one more run as the Spartans head man?
BONUS: LSU DC Matt House
Since the time of this post, another name was identified as someone who fits the criteria: LSU defensive coordinator Matt House. House is an MSU alum, who started his coaching career with the Spartans before going on to have success around college football and even won a Super Bowl with the Chiefs.
