Coaching carousel rumor mill: Is Mel Tucker likely to stay put?
One name that the LSU Tigers and the fan base have kept a close eye on is Mel Tucker. He has his team in the top 10 of the College Football Playoff rankings with an 8-1 record. He has ties to LSU and the SEC. Many believed that he was firmly on the radar of the LSU brass and athletic director Scott Woodward. At least that was the original report from Fox Sports and Athletic insider Bruce Feldman.
Is it possible that the report of the Tigers’ interest in him gets Tucker an extension at Michigan State? That is one tactic consistently used by agents to get their clients more money. It is a tale as old as time. We call it agent season and it could very well have worked for Tucker and his representation.
Our colleagues at Spartans Wire recently reported on a rumor circulating in East Lansing, Michigan.
The biggest rumor has been Mel Tucker going to LSU to replace lame-duck coach Ed Orgeron. While some MSU fans are spooked considering the way in which Tucker came to Michigan State from Colorado, the latest rumors are he is in line to get a massive pay raise from MSU to stick around.
Rico Beard went on 97.1 The Ticket on Thursday to calm listeners’ nerves and assure them that, per his sources, Tucker isn’t going anywhere.
The rumor isn’t exactly confirmed but worth mentioning, it would give Tucker what he is calling ‘Ryan Day money’, which equates to about $7-8 million per year. According to the USA TODAY Sports coaches salary database, Day is making $6.6 million. Tucker is currently making $5.56 million for the Spartans.
The interesting part of this is that neither coach is making what LSU paid for Ed Orgeron this season, who was second to only Nick Saban.
