Sunday has been a busy day for Michigan State football. First-year athletic director J Batt made the difficult decision to fire Jonathan Smith after just two seasons, and now candidates to replace him ar popping up.
There have been some prominent names mentioned, but I decided to throw together a list of my top five candidates — guys who I think would have success in East Lansing.
Let’s kick things off with the most likely hire.
1. Pat Fitzgerald, former Northwestern HC
This seems to be the most likely option to replace Smith, and it’s not a bad one. Pat Fitzgerald will come with mixed reviews if he’s hired because he fizzled out in his final two years at Northwestern before getting fired for non-football-related issues. He still won 110 games in just over 15 years at Northwestern and had multiple double-digit-win seasons. Not many coaches can do that in Evanston.
I would say Fitzgerald is probably a 2/1 favorite to be hired as Michigan State’s next head coach.
2. Brent Key, Georgia Tech HC
After Michigan State’s loss to UCLA, Brent Key was one of the first names mentioned as a possible replacement for Smith. He already had a strong relationship with Batt as he was hired when the now-Michigan State AD was in charge of Georgia Tech’s athletic department.
Key would be a great hire, but he’s already said that he’s unlikely to leave Georgia Tech. Coaches say this all the time (*cough cough* Mel Tucker), but it would be tough to pry a second straight coach away from his alma mater. Fans would love this hire because Key turned the Yellow Jackets around rather quickly, but it just isn’t as likely as Fitzgerald.
3. Jason Eck, New Mexico HC
I brought this name up last week when I was looking at some candidates who weren’t getting as much love as they should, and I still think Jason Eck would be a heck of a hire. Sure, he’s only been at New Mexico for one season, but he turned around a dying program, winning nine games and leading the Lobos to the top of the Mountain West — he’s still hopeful for a conference title.
The job that Eck did at New Mexico after the program lost all of its starters and looked to be a dead-end position has been incredible. Plus, he’s a Wisconsin alum so he knows the Big Ten.
Eck could do what Smith was supposed to do much quicker.
4. Robert Saleh, 49ers DC
Is this one likely? Not really. But to me, this would probably be the best possible hire considering the circumstances. However, Robert Saleh wasn’t willing to interview for the job the last time it was open, and it would be very difficult to pry him away from a secure job with the 49ers.
Saleh does have Michigan State ties, though, serving as an offensive assistant in 2002 and a defensive assistant for the Spartans the following year. The Dearborn-native could decide to come home and lead the program that he got his coaching start at back to the top of the Big Ten.
One can dream.
5. Bob Chesney, James Madison HC
Bob Chesney is an interesting name that many Michigan State fans have talked themselves into, but it looks like UCLA may be the program to beat for his services — although if MSU makes a run at him, things could definitely change.
Fans have seen Curt Cignetti turn things around at Indiana in record time, and they’re thinking that Chesney could follow in his footsteps because he, too, had success at James Madison.
This would be a high-risk, high-reward hire, and he’s a younger guy, too, which is intriguing.
Honorable mention: Max Bullough, Notre Dame LBs coach
Is it realistic to think that a linebackers coach can make the jump to head coach of a major Power Four program? It’s not likely, but it is possible. We seem to have forgotten that Harlon Barnett was a secondary coach under Mel Tucker and he replaced him as the interim coach when he was fired, and plenty of former players wanted him to be the next guy.
Bullough just fits the Michigan State mentality, and that’s because he’s a Spartan legend already. He helped lead Michigan State to a Rose Bowl and Big Ten title in 2013, but his suspension left a bad taste in his mouth. What better way to get redemption than by leading the program back to relevance and getting to the biggest stage as head coach?
I’d also take him as the next defensive coordinator.