The Mel Tucker era at Michigan State will always be known for two things: flash without much substance and the magical 2021 season that featured Kenneth Walker III and Jayden Reed.
The era fizzled out quicker than fans would've hoped as Tucker was fired a few games into the 2023 season for conduct off the field that didn't represent Michigan State in a good light.
During his time with Michigan State, however, Tucker was known for aiming high on the recruiting trail and usually finishing in second or third place for these elite recruits. We saw it with David Stone and countless others, but there were occasions in which he did finish first and landed a big fish here and there.
One of those big fish was Bai Jobe, a top-100 edge rusher from Oklahoma.
Jobe was widely considered one of the best prospects of the Tucker era (the highest-rated) but he didn't quite pan out in East Lansing, playing minimally as a true freshman in 2023 before hitting the portal in 2024 and committing to Kansas. Well, he's on the move again after a quiet season with the Jayhawks, committing to a MAC school on Tuesday.
Kansas EDGE transfer Bai Jobe has signed with Miami (Ohio), @chris_hummer and I have learned for @CBSSports/@247Sports.
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) May 6, 2025
Former Class of 2023 top-55 overall recruit. Had transferred to Kansas from Michigan State. Posted nine tackles last season.https://t.co/10Sz3YwNKg pic.twitter.com/pL8HU845Gq
It's rather shocking to see the highest-rated commit of the Tucker era go to the MAC just two years into his college career, but that fits right in with what we became used to during that time period: all flash and no substance.
I think Jobe can be a good player and I think he's pretty raw, but it's just interesting to see just where he ended up after being pursued by Oklahoma and Alabama out of high school.
Jobe was considered the biggest recruiting win of the Tucker era.