Michigan State Football: 3 ways Mel Tucker can win fans over in year one

3. Don’t play favorites with upperclassmen

There’s a difference between playing favorites and playing the best players, regardless of class. Mark Dantonio was known for playing favorites with his upperclassmen and he could be stubborn, playing some veterans over younger, more deserving players.

A prime example of this was when Tyler O’Connor was given the starting quarterback job in 2016 over Brian Lewerke. The latter made it known that he was the best quarterback on the roster about halfway through the year, but a broken leg suffered against Michigan ended any hopes of him starting the remainder of the season.

If Dantonio was still in charge, there’s a good chance he’d go with Rocky Lombardi with next to no second thoughts or a fair battle to be had, but now that Mel Tucker is in town, that’ll change.

Well, fans are hoping it changes.

If Tucker wants to win over a large portion of the fanbase in year one, making sure that the best players play, even if they’re freshmen, is a must. No more feeling obligated to start juniors and seniors just because they’ve been around longer.