MSU Football Hit with Massive Blow From NCAA
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The Michigan State football program agreed to a "negotiated resolution" with the NCAA due to recruiting violations that occurred while Mel Tucker was the head coach, with the punishment including vacated wins, financial penalties, and more.
Per a press release from the school, MSU received three years of probation, a $30,000 fine plus an additional 1.5% of the annual football budget, several recruiting restrictions, the vacation of wins due to participation of three ineligible players, and several former staff members received show-cause orders.
The vacated wins span through the entirety of the 2022-24 seasons, totaling 14. Even though current head coach Jonathan Smith committed no wrongdoing, the playing of at least one of three ineligible players wipes away all five of his wins from his first year at Michigan State.
"Today’s announcement brings closure to an NCAA investigation resulting from violations committed by a previous staff," said MSU president Kevin Guskiewicz and athletic director J Batt in a joint statement.
"Michigan State pursued a negotiated resolution to minimize the penalties and limit the possible impact on our current football student-athletes and staff, who were not involved in the violations," the statement continued. "With this matter behind us, we are able to move forward, focusing on the present and future of Spartan football."
MSU is already going through a tumultuous time, given Tucker's firing in 2023 due to sexual misconduct, and that the Spartans are likely going to have their fourth consecutive losing season.
The Case
Michigan State's violations center around former general manager and director of player personnel Saeed Khalif and former pass rush specialist Brandon Jordan. The NCAA says that Tucker was not directly involved with the violations, though it does say that "Tucker took a hands-off approach to compliance and did not promote a culture where staff felt comfortable coming to him with concerns or to report potential violations."
Allegedly, Khalif and Jordan "provided impermissible recruiting inducements" to six recruits during unofficial visits. The NCAA says that "the inducements primarily consisted of airfare and hotel lodging for the prospects and the individuals who traveled with them," and that these violations occurred between October 2021 and March 2023.
Khalif received a six-year show-cause order, Jordan got five years, and Tucker got three years.
What's Next
The punishment from the NCAA is going to be another obstacle for Smith to overcome. Even with the now-vacated wins still included, he's 8-13 as Michigan State's head coach, and is only 3-12 against Big Ten teams.
That's why Smith's recruiting is going to be so vital, and having unofficial and official visits only makes things more difficult for him to be able to turn the program around. MSU's 2026 recruiting class, according to Rivals, ranks 37th nationally and 12th in the Big Ten.
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A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
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