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Michigan State football: 3 ideal head coaching candidates if Mel Tucker is fired

By Connor Muldowney

Sep 9, 2023; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders walks on the sideline against the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the second quarter at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 9, 2023; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders walks on the sideline against the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the second quarter at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /
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Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman reacts to his players scoring a touchdown in the third quarter of Saturday’s game against Troy inside Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman reacts to his players scoring a touchdown in the third quarter of Saturday’s game against Troy inside Bill Snyder Family Stadium. /

Shifting gears to a more proven coach who has turned a program around before, Chris Klieman has plenty of success under his belt and he turned a middle-of-the-pack Kansas State team into a Big 12 champion in just a couple of years.

And he still has Kansas State at the top of the Big 12.

Klieman won four national titles with North Dakota State in five years from 2014-18 and Kansas State jumped at the opportunity to hire him in 2019. All he’s done since then is have success.

In his first year with the program, he went 8-5 and then took a step back in 2020 (who didn’t?) during the COVID-19-shortened season. Since 2020, Klieman and the Wildcats are 20-9 with a Big 12 title and a New Year’s Six bowl berth. That’s the kind of success Michigan State is hoping to get back to after a 5-7 season in 2022 and minimal expectations for 2023.

Unlike Kansas State, however, Michigan State would present Klieman with a solid roster to start as this is probably the Spartans’ most talented team since the prime Mark Dantonio days. He would be tasked with trying to keep everyone together and hoping they buy in.

I don’t think he’d have a problem with that.

If we’re not aiming for a young up-and-comer, Klieman would be a perfect fit.

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