Big Ten Roundup (Sept. 20): Michigan State Fires Mel Tucker, Wisconsin Coach a Favorite to Replace Him

After initially being suspended without pay for the allegations of sexual harassment against him, Michigan State has fired football coach Mel Tucker. In wake of the news, people have discussed candidates who could take the job in East Lansing, and one name that has emerged is Wisconsin defensive coordinator Mike Tressel.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Following a report last week that he was under investigation for the sexual harassment of Brenda Tracy, Michigan State has fired coach Mel Tucker. 

Michigan State athletic director Alan Haller released a statement on Tuesday that said he had notified Tucker of his intent to terminate his contract with cause. As per Tucker's contract, he has seven calendar days to respond to the notification of his firing, and to present reasons as to why he should not be terminated with cause. 

Following the long expected news that Tucker was out in East Lansing, many began speculating as to who would take his place as the head coach of the Michigan State football team. Harlon Barnett is currently serving as the team's interim coach, but a name to watch out for is Wisconsin defensive coordinator Mike Tressel.

Here's everything you need to know in today's Big Ten Roundup:

Mel Tucker Fired by Michigan State

Anyone who read or heard about the details of the allegations against Tucker was not surprised by this news. The former Michigan State coach has a hearing scheduled for Oct. 5 and 6, which will still take place, but this news officially puts the nail in the coffin of Tucker's tenure. 

Tucker then released a statement in response to the news of his firing, pushing back on the allegations against him, and calling Michigan State's investigation process biased. 

"I can only conclude that MSU does not care about my rights, the truth, or its future liability for policing its employees' private lives," Tucker wrote in its statement. "Ms. Tracy manufactured false allegations against me. MSU ignored its own policies in pursuing a biased investigation into them."

NEW: Mel Tucker has released the following statement, a day after MSU announced its intention to fire him for cause: pic.twitter.com/4edFFkNg5E

— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) September 19, 2023

For more on the firing of coach Mel Tucker, check out the full story on our sister site Spartan Nation. 

Mike Tressel a Candidate to be MSU Coach 

The nephew of the legendary Ohio State head coach is currently the Wisconsin defensive coordinator, and followed coach Luke Fickell to Madison from Cincinnati.

However, Tressel spent a whopping 14 seasons in East Lansing as a coach from 2007-2020, coaching a multitude of different position groups for the Spartans' defense. He was on the staff for all 13 seasons of coach Mark Dantonio's tenure, and was the Michigan State safeties coach in 2020 during Tucker's first year, before leaving to join Fickell at Cincinnati. 

BetMichigan.com listed Tressel with the second best odds to take the head coaching vacancy on Tuesday, behind only current interim Barnett. 

Tressel is only in his first season as defensive coordinator at Wisconsin, and his odds on getting the job likely depend on how well Michigan State does in its final nine games under Barnett. But still, he's a name who Big Ten fans must keep an eye on for the gig in the near future. 

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