Michigan State Football: 3 reasons MSU fits Mel Tucker better than LSU

Tom Izzo spoke to the media on Tuesday about the possibility of Mel Tucker to LSU rumors coming to fruition and he eased the mind of just about every Michigan State football fan.

With the LSU job being mentioned plenty during Michigan State’s bye week, it has unfortunately leaked over into Hate Week as the Spartans are trying to prepare for Michigan with no distractions.

Tucker was asked about the job on Monday during his weekly presser and he politely declined to talk about it, saying his focus was on the game against Michigan on Saturday and some news outlets and panicking fans ran with that as a negative sign.

But here’s why LSU is a better fit for Tucker right now and MSU fans shouldn’t be worried.

3. Familiarity with Big Ten country

Although Mel Tucker has proven over the past two years that he’s a national recruiter and has solid ties to states like Georgia, Texas, and California, he is also very familiar with Big Ten country.

Tucker was born in Ohio, played football at Wisconsin, spent his early coaching years as a grad assistant for Michigan State and then Ohio State, and knows the area well. He’s developed strong relationships with high school coaches in Michigan and can recruit Ohio and the rest of the Midwest well, too. He’s even dipped into New Jersey and Louisiana’s talent pools.

People may say that LSU has an easier recruiting outlook because the Tigers don’t have anyone in Louisiana to fight for recruits with, but as long as he continues to recruit nationally, he’s not going to primarily recruit one state. He could land some elite Louisiana talent, but he could also do that at Michigan State — and he’s proving that with each recruiting class.

Tucker knows this area, his legacy is important to him, and he’s familiar with the Big Ten and how to win there. Why would he leave home?