Michigan State Football: 5 ways Mark Dantonio can turn program around in 2020

1. Trim the fat on the coaching staff

There’s some fat on the coaching staff that could use a bit of trimming and by “bit” I do mean a relatively drastic overhaul. There are a few coaches who I’d be fine with retaining, but the rest have yet to earn their keep.

Guys like Ron Burton, Mike Tressel, Brad Salem and even Don Treadwell could probably get another shot, but the latter would likely have to go back to being a freshman coach. The Spartans could use a new quarterbacks coach, receivers coach, and even defensive backs coach. I like what Paul Haynes brings to the table, but after two years and some regression in the defensive backfield, I’m not sure he’s the guy for the job.

Salem gets a lot of blame for the offense not executing, but he’s done a far better job this season than people realize. He’s been a bright spot in an otherwise dire situation.

Bring back those guys, give them another shot and then hit the reset button everywhere else while also bringing Harlon Barnett back.

This is what everyone wanted last season, but Mark Dantonio believed in his guys. Clearly, they’re not all getting the job done, so it’s time to prove that this is a business and sometimes that means cutting your friends loose when they are underperforming.