Michigan State football: 5 candidates to replace Mel Tucker as head coach

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Sep 10, 2022; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Marshall Thundering Herd head coach Charles Huff watches in the second quarter against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports /

This is a name that may not have been on people’s radars a week ago, but Charles Huff absolutely needs to be considered for the head coaching position.

Huff just turned 40 in April and he’s in his second year as a head coach at the FBS level and is already garnering interest from some Power Five programs. He’s officially on the radar, especially after he went on the road last season and upset Notre Dame. That was the game that really put him on the radar and the Thundering Herd finished 9-4.

To start his second season, Huff is 2-0 with wins over Albany and East Carolina. He’s still building his program, so if he doesn’t get a look this year, I’d expect him to be a Power Five head coach by the start of the 2025 season.

What’s so great about Huff? Well, he’s young and he spent time learning under Nick Saban in 2019-20 before taking the job at Marshall. He’s also coached under James Franklin and in the NFL and he’s considered one of the top recruiters in all of college football.

A young winner who can recruit and who learned from the greatest coach of all time? Yes, please.

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