Michigan State Football: Tom Izzo eases minds about Mel Tucker to LSU rumors

Rumors can be cruel in the college athletics landscape. Will a coach take a job somewhere else for more money? Will he entertain greener pastures? These rumors aren’t just tough on a coach who is trying to focus on the current season, but they’re also harsh on the fans who are stuck wondering what may or may not happen.

Michigan State football fans have been in purgatory over the past two weeks due to some ill-timed rumors about Mel Tucker potentially sitting atop LSU’s board of coaching candidates.

Ed Orgeron and LSU agreed to part ways following the 2021 season and the job in Baton Rouge will be one of the most sought after in college football. It has a long history of winning championships and Tucker has to realize he could probably have similar success to Orgeron, Les Miles, and Nick Saban.

But he also has to realize that his leash would be short and he’s shown that he can win in East Lansing in a short period of time.

Tucker shrugged off the rumors in his weekly press conference on Monday, stating that he was focused on the game Saturday against the rival Wolverines. That nonchalance about the rumors and the fact that he didn’t exactly “shoot them down” had some members of the fanbase in worry mode.

Tom Izzo eased those minds on Tuesday with a statement about the rumors and what he thinks Mel is going to do.

Leave it to Izzo to put the Michigan State fanbase at ease.

Izzo knows what the Michigan State football coach is going through

If there’s anyone who can talk about the possibility of leaving for greener pastures and the stress that comes with constant rumors, it’s Izzo.

Almost yearly, Izzo is the subject of head coaching rumors. That talk has cooled down over the past few years, but about 5-6 years ago, Izzo seemingly heard from the NBA every offseason and he nearly left for the Cleveland Cavaliers job about a decade ago but decided to stay and declare himself a lifer.

So if there’s anyone who can speak on this, it’s him.

And his quote is pretty optimistic. He stated that he knows that these rumors come with success and Mel wants to be at a place like this. He’s big on legacy and he can create one at Michigan State and the fit is right for him because he feels like everyone is working together to create a winning environment. Mel and Izzo are also fundraising together and a football facility upgrade is coming.

Basically, Izzo said he’s not worried.

And you should be, either.