Mel Tucker Plummets In CBS Sports College Football Coaches Rankings
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It's amazing how much things can change in one year's time.
Twelve months ago, Michigan State Football was riding high off an 11-2 record and a Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl victory in head coach Mel Tucker's second year at the helm in East Lansing. Fast forward a year, and questions abound for the Spartans' program after a highly disappointing 5-7 campaign in 2023.
That uncertainly was reflected in a big way in CBS Sports' 2023 Power 5 College Football Coaches rankings, which were updated earlier this month. After being ranked the No. 24 coach among his 'Power 5' peers following the 2022 season, Tucker plummeted all the way down to No. 47 heading into his fourth season at Michigan State.
Tucker's 23-spot decline is tied for the third-largest drop of any coach in America, and is the second-biggest drop for a Big Ten head coach. Only Northwestern's Pat Fitzgerald, who fell 24 spots from No. 21 to No. 45, had a bigger decline than Tucker among conference coaches.
Unsurprisingly, Michigan's Jim Harbaugh is the highest-ranked Big Ten coach in CBS's rankings after leading the Wolverines to back-to-back conference championships and consecutive trips to the College Football Playoff. Harbaugh is considered the No. 5 coach in the Power 5, trailing only Alabama's Nick Saban, Georgia's Kirby Smart, Clemson's Dabo Swinney and USC's Lincoln Riley.
Ohio State's Ryan Day is ranked the No. 8 coach in the country, followed closely by Wisconsin's Luke Fickell (No. 9) and Penn State's James Franklin (No. 10). Illinois' Bret Beilema climbed 17 spots to No. 21 after an eight-win season in his second year with the Fighting Illini. Minnesota's P.J. Fleck is ranked No. 24.
Nebraska's Matt Rhule comes in at No. 27 following his unsuccessful stint in the NFL with the Carolina Panthers, though Rhule is known for his ability to turn around failing college programs. After winning two games in his first year at Temple, Rhule led the Owls to back-to-back 10-win seasons in his third and fourth seasons there. Likewise, after a one-win campaign in his first year at Baylor, Rhule led the Bears to 11 wins in his third season in Waco, Texas.
Rounding out the Big Ten coaches are Maryland's Mike Locksley (No. 49), Rutgers' Greg Schiano (No. 50), Indiana's Tom Allen (No. 62) and Purdue's Ryan Walters (No. 64), who is entering his first season as a head coach after serving as Illinois' defensive coordinator for the past two seasons.
Like the current uncertainty in East Lansing, CBS's rankings also reflect a wavering belief among a portion of Michigan State's fan base as to whether Tucker is the right man for the job. In four seasons as a college head coach, one of which was at Colorado, Tucker has complied a 23-21 career record.
Tucker is 18-14 in three seasons at Michigan State, including a 2-5 record during the COVID-shortened 2020 season, the 11-2 mark in 2022 and the 5-7 campaign last season.
Tucker inherited a tough situation at MSU when he was hired in late February 2020. He was unable to recruit any of his own high school prospects for his first season with the Spartans after former coach Mark Dantonio waited until Feb. 4, the day before National Signing Day, to announce his retirement. The Spartans went 7-6 in each of the final two seasons under Dantonio, and Michigan State's roster did not feature nearly as much talent or depth as it had during the height of the Dantonio era when Tucker took over.
Almost immediately upon his arrival in East Lansing, Tucker was dealt another setback by the COVID-19 pandemic, which limited his ability to recruit the 2021 class. Like the rest of the country, Michigan State was forced to recruit remotely only, using Zoom calls to communicate with high school prospects and give virtual tours of MSU's campus and facilities.
Of the 19 players that the Spartans signed in the Zoom-recruited 2021 class, only nine remain with the program heading into the 2023 season. Tucker and Michigan State saw a significant boost in recruiting over the following two cycles, landing the No. 23-ranked recruiting class (247Sports) in the country in each of the 2022 and 2023 cycles.
Michigan State's roster still has a significant talent and depth gap to close with the top programs in the Big Ten Conference, but it's fair to say the current roster is in much better shape than the one Tucker inherited in 2020. Still, Tucker and the Spartans would benefit mightily from a return to bowl eligibility status this coming season to build some positive momentum once again.
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