Former Wisconsin DB Mel Tucker Named Michigan State Head Coach

A former Badger comes back to the Big Ten to lead a program.

After early morning reports from The Athletic's Bruce Feldman and ESPN's Adam Rittenberg surfaced, Michigan State officially announced the hire of Mel Tucker as its new head coach on Wednesday afternoon. The name should sound familiar to older Wisconsin fans, as the former college defensive back played at UW from 1990-94. He lettered for Barry Alvarez-led teams in 1990, 1991, 1992 and 1994.

Tucker worked as head coach at Colorado last season after serving as a defensive coordinator at Georgia from 2016-18. After his Badger playing days, he started his coaching career as a graduate assistant with the Spartans from 1997-98 but later found careers with a few NFL franchises before returning to the college game.

Here is what MSU included in its announcement about Tucker's Wisconsin history:

A 1995 graduate of the University of Wisconsin with his bachelor's degree in agricultural business management, Tucker was a member of the first recruiting class for Hall of Fame Coach Barry Alvarez. He lettered three times at both cornerback and safety from 1990-94 and was on the Badgers' 1993 Big Ten champion team that defeated UCLA in the Rose Bowl, 21-16. As a sophomore, he made a game-saving hit in the end zone with time running out that preserved a 19-16 win at Minnesota. He had 47 tackles and four pass deflections in his career (he missed his entire junior season after breaking a leg in fall camp).

Tucker remains close with several Badger teammates who have gone on to make their marks in football, including Troy Vincent (the NFL executive vice president for football operations), Chris Ballard (Indianapolis Colts general manager) and Darrell Bevell (Detroit Lions offensive coordinator).

Be sure to follow along with Sports Illustrated's Spartan Nation about the news, the coaching search and more.