Michigan State Football: 3 benefits of playing 2020 season this fall

3. Developing trust with new coaching staff

When Mel Tucker took over and filled out his new coaching staff, there were a number of hires that caught the players’ attention, in a good way. They couldn’t wait to get on the field for spring practice and develop a strong relationship with the new staff which had been in place for a short time; that never happened.

COVID-19 struck the nation and wiped out any spring practice hopes and the Spartans suffered because there were no serious relationships being developed with the new staff.

Mel Tucker and the new staff don’t have that trust that Mark Dantonio did with his players. When you hold a head coaching position for 10-plus years, players tend to trust you and treat your word as gospel. When you’re a brand new head coach who came to a school after just one season coaching elsewhere, you have to fight for that trust.

Players like Tucker and that much is obvious, but without him and the staff playing this fall and really getting to know each other (not just weight training and conditioning), it’s hard to develop that trust.

It may take a year for the players to totally trust the new coach and his staff.