Time for President Simon to get this done!

Sadly, a process that initially garnered so many positive reviews is on the cusp of becoming a nightmare. While MSU struggles to agree upon one man, the

Sadly, a process that initially garnered so many positive reviews is on the cusp of becoming a nightmare. While MSU struggles to agree upon one man, the process continues to linger and recruits are looking elsewhere. This process needs to finally come to an end so others cannot “muddy the waters” as one source described it.

It is no secret that as young men look to make their choice in regards to college destination, they cannot do so without a coach in place. Our prized recruit is getting a visit on Monday from Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops; this is exactly the obstacle that MSU must now overcome for having no coach in place to date.

Recruits who have already committed to MSU are now seeing the trepidation and lack of decisiveness; other schools are now playing this fact against them. One recruit told me last night that a recruiter from another BCS school said to him, “…they don’t know what they are doing. They are paralyzed and have no clue. MSU can’t succeed; the politics won’t let them.” This will continue to happen until we name a coach; other schools will target everyone—even the recruits who maintain a solid commitment to MSU.

I must confess, I don’t know President Simon. I do know many things about her, but even that does not give me actual insight into her thinking.  She understands the politics of MSU and she has the leverage if she chooses to use it. The board told her that she has their support; they proclaimed they would follow her with whatever she does. She needs to hold them accountable, take them at their word (even if it differs in private); if they do not, she must proceed without them. As the powers that be fight over Shurmur and Grantham, Kelly appears to be the middle option that also is the front-runner. She also has the power to say yes, no or to look elsewhere. She must make the choice.

Simon is well aware of MSU’s history. She knows that Hannah was brilliant because he took risks. He acted, not with the political winds of MSU, but with what he felt was in MSU’s best interest.Â

Does she have the brass to make such a move and get this handled the right way? I don’t know yet. They clearly didn’t expect this to take this long and it has. As the waters get muddy and the search continues to drag out, the end result becomes extremely clear. Simon needs to be bold and make the decision herself. MSU cannot let this drag on any longer and become the embarrassment that it is about to.

If Shurmur gets the job (although I am assured by sources close to this that he is a long shot) or if Grantham gets it, we all know that time was wasted and the search could have been concluded weeks ago. We don’t need 7,000 consultants; we just need to get it done. When the process concludes, I will be able to explain exactly how the process was handled. Right now I can say that they did not expect it to last this long; yet for some reason it has.

I endorsed Kelly as the right man to be the next coach. However, I never said that there were not several great choices. Kelly is a finalist and MSU is clearly interested in him. Despite this, if MSU does not act fast, Kelly will move on. Whether that is to ISU, where he has a second interview on Saturday, or elsewhere, Kelly or any coach is not going to sit around forever. If Kelly is our guy, we have to let him know and we can announce it the Friday after the MAC Championship Game. If he is not, we must tell him also and allow everyone to move forward. If Kelly was named now he could save the recruits, but that shouldn’t be the reason he is picked. He is a finalist for a reason and they can’t let this go on. Grantham or Shurmur could have been picked weeks ago; the internal debate is enormous and now is the time to act if it is Kelly.

The longer it goes, the more divided Spartan Nation becomes. No one cares if there is a formal press conference or not to announce a hiring, but to not have your man at this stage in the game is absurd. No excuses. Find a way to get it done, in the box or out, but it must be finished. Now. Whoever it is!

At the end of the season, the MSU fan base was bordering apathy. The indecisiveness in the coaching search does not restore the passion that all MSU fans really have. MSU needs a coach that will stir their emotions and reassure everyone that MSU is indeed a legitimate football program. Making a move that is political or not making one in fear of appeasement is ridiculous. MSU needs to just make the move. Indecisiveness at this point is paralyzing and would signal program decay.

Madame President, you have the power and Spartan Nation needs you to use it. Like the coach you will be hiring, you are paid to make difficult choices make those choices and bring in our next coach now. If you don’t know whom you want this point in the process then this process has been a sham. If you do and haven’t done it, then that is worse. Get it done.  You folks knew this was coming. If you fired JLS without a good list and idea then that is your own administrative fault. If you fired him and had a candidate in mind, and the political winds wouldn’t allow it to happen, then again it is your fault for not being better judges.Â

The Spartan Nation cannot afford to let this decision become political. Fair or unfair, the last coach was the clear responsibility of Ron Mason. The board said publicly this was President Simon's choice. Whether or not that is an actual truthful statement, use the political leverage they gave you Madame President and get this done. Like it or not, fair or unfair, this pick is your responsibility. What does your gut tell you?   Kelly? Shurmur? Grantham? D’Antonio? Outside the box? The only advice I can give is choose wisely.