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Michigan State Football Daily Coaching Search Update 3.0

Michigan State Football Daily Coaching Search Update 3.0
Hondo S. Carpenter Sr.|
Michigan State Football Daily Coaching Search Update 3.0
Michigan State Football Daily Coaching Search Update 3.0

Times in the Spartan Nation are fascinating.  But no one who reads Spartan Nation regularly is shocked.  

Spartan Nation first reported on August 20, 2019, that I was aware of rumblings from people close to Dantonio that he would resign after signing day in a move to get Mike Tressel hired, like Bob Stoops did with Oklahoma. I wrote, "I have heard that scenario from several people. I have also reported previously of more than one person at MSU, saying that AD Bill Beekman has talked to them about Mike Tressel as a successor. I asked two members of the Board of Trustees (who hire the AD, Football & Men's Basketball Coach at MSU) about that. Both said nearly the same thing. But here is a quote from one of them directly, "Bill and Mark if that is true needs to understand their job and hiring the next coach is our job, not theirs." Dantonio was asked at Big Ten Media days about an end plan, and he said he is, "In the moment." I did specifically ask him about many at MSU and other places speculating on this being the end, and he told me, "I am in the moment." He then smiled and walked away."

That is why I asked Bill Beekman about the search at his press conference last week (Video below) and the fact that the Board of Trustees will make the hire.

 In my opinion, anything that the MSU Board of Trustees has the authority to do should concern every Spartan. The MSU Board of Trustees has given Spartan Nation reason to doubt their ability.  They have openly gone after each other to the point that Tom Izzo in the past had to reach out to Board Members and tell them to stop their public bickering.  By the way, that didn't come from Tom Izzo, I was told that by another BOT member.

It stuns me that members of the BOT are making so much effort to inject themselves into the coaching search while fighting the release of documents involved in the Larry Nassar scandal.  How about trying to rectify that scandal by ripping off the band-aid and simply making all the THOUSANDS  of documents public and not caring about how bad it may make you look.  Let others who the public actually trusts, pick a coach.

Despite the fake news of done deals with Luke Fickell. the talk of rumored emergency meetings and how lucrative the contracts would be and how all that was left was negotiating the assistant money, all were for naught.  While Spartan Nation has not read those reports, you all certainly emailed us about them.

On February 6 we reported that last Wednesday Luke Fickell told his staff that he was not coming to Michigan State.  He proved to be truthful.

I can also tell you that the following are out:

Pat Narduzzi Pittsburgh Head Coach

Mel Tucker Colordao Head Coach

Robert Saleh DC San Francisco 49ers

Matt Campbell, the head coach at Iowa State

Pat Shurmur former NFL OC & head coach

Shurmur turned the job down this morning.  So who is left from the original list?

Marvin Lewis DC Arizona State

Jim McElwain, the head coach at CMU.

Craig Bohl head coach at Wyoming

Butch Jones former head coach currently on staff with Nick Saban. Jones has seen his name get traction. He is highly respected and was recommended for the job by Nick Saban, and other notable names around college football. 

Harlon Barnett was a name Spartan Nation last early summer reported was going to get a long look should what we heard about Dantonio happen. He was NOT on the original list and not on the radar. Glenn Sugiyama (DHR International) looked at sitting head coaches initially. (Butch Jones, Marvin Lewis & Robert Saleh were on the list we published because of interest from some in the administration)

However, with the crash of Florida State, many thought the die-hard Spartan (Da Bang Stick) would be out of it. I can tell you tonight that Spartans from around the nation are speaking up and calling for him to be hired. Barnett has impeccable integrity and had Florida State's entire program not crashed this past season; he would have been the front runner.

I mentioned in my QA article that a name I had not listed that I found intriguing was Brett Bielema, the former Wisconsin and Arkansas head coach. I can tell you as of tonight HE IS NOT on the radar. It doesn't mean that he won't be, but he is not as of now.

There was a meeting of the committee minds tonight to figure out the direction that they will go now. One member of the administration told me, "I get a sense of little panic, that they are sensing the wrath of the fans and that they want to get it done quickly. Not sure that is the right thing. Let's get it right." I echo that. It is easy to make a wrong move when you feel pressure to hurry. Just get it right.

I have all the faith in the committee and zero faith in the BOT. As long as the BOT stays out of it, I am encouraged.

Tell us in the comment section below who you think. We want to know your opinion.

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Hondo S. Carpenter Sr.
HONDO S. CARPENTER SR.

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