Michigan State Football: Way-too-early look at 2023 coaching staff

Head coach

I love Mel Tucker. I think he’s a master leader and an excellent recruiter. The locker room speeches alone were highlights during the 2021 season.

I also think he was dealt a pretty lousy hand coming in late into the recruiting cycle and at the beginning of a once-in-a-lifetime (hopefully) pandemic on top of a talent with, let’s face it, Group of Five talent seeing as that’s where a lot of MSU departing transfers went. It’s like trying to build a house on a foundation of mud, with scrap materials and then there’s a shortage of scrap material.

He’s also been around great programs such as Alabama and Georgia so he knows what it takes to win championships. I just wish we knew what the heck was going on with the staff last season. Between the team not being ready mentally or physically to play Minnesota or the entirety of the second half against Indiana, there were plenty of reasons to doubt if Tucker was the right guy to make in-game decisions.

I don’t think it was just a bad roster or inept assistants. I know there were plenty of injuries and the suspensions from the tunnel incident could have been a distraction. But like a lot of these coaches, I need to see a clear direction from this program.