Michigan State Spartans Insider Podcast: MSU, Alan Haller Part Ways
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Michigan State is moving on from Alan Haller, who has served as the Spartans' athletic director for three-plus years.
Michigan State president Kevin M. Guskiewicz made the announcement on Thursday morning.
"I'm grateful for Alan's leadership since I joined the university and appreciate the success our programs have seen under his leadership," Guskiewicz said in a statement. "He is deeply committed to this university and has led with honesty and integrity."
In the meantime, Michigan State's Tom Izzo and deputy athletic director Jennifer Smith will serve as the department's interim co-athletic directors.
Our Aidan Champion breaks down the news on this latest edition of the Michigan State Spartans Insider Podcast. You can watch the episode below:
"This is a pivotal time for college athletics, where innovation, effective communications and community engagement are more important than ever," Guskiewicz said. "Our next athletic director will lead one of the nation's more storied athletic programs, home to 23 varsity sports, a passionate fan base, a long legacy of academic and athletic excellence and, most importantly, an ambitious future."
Michigan State has not given a reason for the move, but 247Sports' Justin Thind reported he had been "told fundraising abilities will be a key requirement for new candidates, as a national search will begin immediately."
News: #MichiganState is parting ways with athletic director Alan Haller, sources confirmed.
— Justin Thind (@JustinThind) May 1, 2025
I’m told that fundraising abilities will be a key requirement for new candidates, as a national search will begin immediately.
More on what I’ve heard: https://t.co/qOU95JWCTM (FREE) pic.twitter.com/oX9gg6rvFX
Izzo taking on an interim co-athletic director role begs speculation into the possibility of him someday becoming the program's athletic director. But it doesn't seem likely.
Izzo has expressed his concerns with the current landscape of collegiate athletics on countless occasions and how his presence on committees hasn't made a change.
The legendary coach spoke to the media last month, catching up on events that had transpired since his team's season ended in the Elite Eight.
Below is a partial transcript of Izzo's opening statement:
Izzo: "I wanted to have a press conference at the end for a different reason than maybe I normally have a press conference at the end. And most of it is dealing with the experiences that we're all going through; when I say we're all -- players, coaches, media, fans, everybody.
"I talked to, a bunch of coaches all over the country. So make sure you understand, this is not Michigan State. This is not basketball. It's football. It's basketball,
"With the kids putting their name in the portal and getting criticized for their decisions, I'm asking that -- we've created a bad system. We are -- you can look at all of you, you look at me, you can look at administrators, you can look at NCAA. There's been a bad system created by the adults. And the players are being forced to navigate that with most of the public attention focused on the negative things of it.
"As I said, it's not specific to Michigan State, but it more reflects the problems we're having in everything in sports right now."
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