Michigan State Football: Thomas Wilcher will salvage Detroit recruiting

Mel Tucker has done it again, folks. Just when we thought he couldn’t restore hope back to prime Mark Dantonio era levels, he goes out and adds the top high school coach from Detroit to the Michigan State football staff as an analyst.

According to all the local media outlets, the deal is pretty much done for Cass Tech’s Thomas Wilcher to join Michigan State’s staff, giving the Spartans a true recruiting presence in Detroit.

This won’t make Michigan fans very happy, however, as Wilcher is a “Michigan man” and they probably hoped that Jim Harbaugh made this move already. They did add Ron Bellamy to the staff from West Bloomfield which was a big victory and is already helping them in some recruitments in the area, and that’s what Michigan State is hoping to replicate.

Wilcher is one of the best coaches in the state and has won three Division 1 state titles with Cass Tech and has had five players drafted into the NFL.

Unfortunately, this move locks Michigan State out of Cass Tech for two years because it’s an analyst role and not an on-field coaching position so Michigan State won’t be able to land a kid from the talent-rich school until 2024.

Mel Tucker trying to turn the tide

For years, dating back to the Dantonio days, Michigan has ruled the city of Detroit as well as in-state recruiting. There were exceptions every now and then, but the Wolverines landed essentially whoever they wanted because Dantonio didn’t have the staff to compete, recruiting-wise.

Now that Wilcher has joined the staff along with Courtney Hawkins (two former high school coaches in Michigan), the Spartans have a fighting chance for in-state kids — especially top Detroit area prospects.

This is a move that Tucker made with the long term in mind. He made this move knowing that he’d be locked out of Cass Tech until 2024 and he was OK with that as long as he improved the in-state and Detroit recruiting for years. And Wilcher is going to help with more than just Cass Tech as Detroit extends far beyond just one school.

Tucker made a championship move and it’s going to pay off immediately.