Michigan Tuesday: That One Cuts Like A Knife

Its one thing for UC's Luke Fickell to turn down Michigan State, its another for the reasons mentioned.  It seems one of the main reasons the Fickell didn't want to go to East Lansing was due to Campus Culture:

The last several years of controversy swirling around Michigan State University helped convince the school's first choice for head football coach to turn down the job, multiple sources told the Free Press on Monday.  

And it wasn't just Luke Fickell, the current University of Cincinnati coach, who had the concerns. His wife, Amy, and Luke to some extent, had concerns about campus culture at MSU, including lawsuits roiling the football department. Those concerns were part of the reason the Fickells turned down the Michigan State football job on Monday, multiple sources with knowledge of the situation told the Free Press.

Dantonio said that top coaching candidates are going to craw to East Lansing
to be the head coach of the Spartans.  Seems they are running away, the runners list now includes:

1. Matt Campbell, Iowa State 
2. Pat Narduzzi, Pitt 
3. Mel Tucker, Colorado 
4. Brent Pry, Penn State DC 
5. Robert Saleh, 49'ers DC
6. Luke Fickell, UC 

The MSU regents had a meeting on Monday on a coaching search update.  I assume it was a short meeting.   The new list could include a number of coaches that haven't been in the head chair in a number of years.  Including:

• Bret Bielema who has been bouncing around NFL Staffs after flaming out at Arkansas.  
• Butch Jones, who is on Saban's non-coaching staff.  As there seems to be some stupid requirement to hire a guy that once coached at the University of Cincinnati.  
• Jim McElwain at CMU who was just on staff in Ann Arbor a year ago and Sparty will never let a person with a recent Michigan ID badge in the building.  
• Harlon Barnett, is a favorite for former Spartan players as he was just the DC at FSU and currently doesn't have a coaching gig.  Harlon was the DC in EL from 2015-2017. 

I really don't see a major program's head coach going to East Lansing with 2020 recruiting just wrapping up and Spring Practice a month or so away.  Not to mention the reasons the Fickell's ran away from East Lansing.   Mark also whiffed on his last 2 recruiting classes and that puts any coach behind the 8 ball for probably 4 years.  If your a good coach, would you sign up for killing your career for extra money?  Not with what coaches are making now.  

They might just have to make Mark Tressel the interim head coach and kill another recruiting class. Which puts them back, what 5-6 years? 

Don't forget guys like RR and Al Golden are also available.  :)

• Michigan got another PWO RB Isaiah Gash from Wisconsin.  He is 5'10 and 185.   He has a really good name for a RB. 

• I think I forgot to mention that Devin Bush, Sr. took a job at Ole Miss as their Recruiting Coordinator. 

from The BIG HOUSE Blog http://mbighouse.blogspot.com/2020/02/michigan-tuesday-that-one-cuts-like.html