The past few weeks have been a whirlwind for Michigan State students, fans, alumni, coaches, and players. It’s been a roller-coaster of a month regarding Michigan State athletics and its administration.
President Kevin Guskiewicz and AD J Batt left the university within a few weeks of each other. Guskiewicz left Michigan State for the vacant president position at Clemson and Batt took the Kentucky job, ending his contract early with MSU. The departures of both can be attributed partially to the lackluster board of trustees, but also not having people in place who want to be here.
Tom Izzo has been one of the rallying forces behind these recent departures, telling the 600,000 living Michigan StateFormer alumni that they need to be on the same page so change is made.
Former players and alumni have been pretty outspoken, too.
While the board of trustees is an obvious issue, former Michigan State quarterback Drew Stanton spoke about what else happened at his annual High 5ive charity golf outing.
Stanton’s short answer: Michigan State isn’t for everyone.
"This is a unique place (Michigan State). I think this is a place you have to want to be here."
— Owen Oszust (@Owen_Oszust) June 19, 2026
Former MSU QB Drew Stanton spoke about what makes his alma mater special at his annual High 5ive charity golf outing.
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He’s right. Michigan State is a unique place where you need to want to be here or it just won’t work out — and that’s OK. If you don’t want to be at Michigan State, the community will sniff that out and it’ll only be a matter of time before changes are eventually made.
The right Michigan State fits are always obvious
When Stanton is talking about the leadership needing to want to be at Michigan State, he’s referring to some past leaders who clearly wanted to be in East Lansing and it showed with the success that they brought.
Izzo is one prime example. He loves Michigan State and wants to be there arguably more than anyone. He’s turned down at least two NBA offers throughout his Spartan coaching career to remain a Spartan for life. He’s exactly who Stanton is talking about. And we see Izzo’s desire to be at Michigan State paying off yearly with title contenders.
Mark Dantonio is another guy who wanted to be in East Lansing and turned down several offers to remain Michigan State’s head coach. Fans knew that and that’s why he’s so beloved at MSU.
Adam Nightingale feels like another perfect fit as a coach who could probably take several other jobs but who is more than happy leading Michigan State.
Michigan State needs to find new leaders who want to be Spartans. Hiring rising stars who are just looking for that next big opportunity is clearly not the move. There’s a happy middle ground somewhere.
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