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REPORT: Four Head Coach Candidates Advance To 2nd Round Of Interviews With Michigan State

A report by Rivals.com's Spartans Illustrated suggest at least four candidates have advanced to the second round of interviews for Michigan State's open position for head football coach...

Matthew Lounsberry

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More development for Michigan State University's search for its next head coach occurred on Friday night, and the hunt for the next leader of the Spartans may be in its final stages.

According to a report from Rivals.com's Spartans Illustrated, at least four candidates have advanced to second round interviews with athletic director Alan Haller — Oregon State's Jonathan Smith, Arizona's Jedd Fisch, Duke's Mike Elko and Toledo's Jason Candle. While Spartans Illustrated report states, "it is important to be clear that these are not necessarily the final four candidates — or even the top four candidates — being considered by Michigan State."

Each of the aforementioned candidates are in their mid-40s and have multiple years of experience leading FBS football programs.

Smith, 44, has done an outstanding job leading his alma mater in Corvallis, Oregon. After leading the Beavers to a 10-3 record and No. 17 final ranking in the Associated Press last season, Smith has led Oregon State to an 8-2 start this season and has his team ranked No. 11 in the College Football Playoff committee rankings with two weeks to go. The Beavers host unbeaten and No. 5 Washington in a massive matchup on Saturday, with Oregon State a slight one-point favorite against the current leader in the Pac-12 conference.

While Smith's career record in Corvallis sits at 34-33 overall, that mark is deceiving. Taking over a program that went 7-29 in the three years prior to his arrival, Smith led Oregon State to a 9-22 mark in his first three seasons (including the COVID-shortened 2020 season) before flipping the script and going 25-11 in the two-plus seasons since.

Elko, 46, has been near the top of Michigan State's wishlist since the beginning of the coaching search. The longtime defensive coordinator is in his second season leading the Blue Devils, whom he has turned into a hard-nosed football program. After a 9-4 record in his debut season in Durham, Elko's squad got off to a 4-0 start before suffering a seven-point loss to then-No. 11 Notre Dame in Week 5.

At the end of that game, the Blue Devils lost starting quarterback Riley Leonard to injury. After beating NC State with their backup QB, Leonard returned against No. 4 Florida State in a game which Duke lead in the fourth quarter until Leonard went down with injury again. The Blue Devils have been hit by other injuries through the season as well, and currently sit at 6-4 this season.

Fisch, 47, has orchestrated a program turnaround of his own in Tuscon, as Arizona is currently ranked No. 17 in the CFP rankings after a 7-3 start. In three seasons under previous head coach Kevin Sumlin, the Wildcats complied a 7-20 record, including 0-5 in the COVID season. Fisch took over in 2021, and has flipped the program around after going 1-11 in his first year and 5-7 last season. An adept offensive mind, Fisch has also shown off impressive recruiting abilities in the desert, helping expedite his rebuild in Tuscon.

If there's a drawback to Fisch, it would be his connection to Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh, who hired Fisch to be his passing game coordinator when he took over the Wolverines back in 2015. Fisch was on staff at the same time the now infamous Connor Stalions began volunteering to help the U-M football program, though Fisch only spent two years in Ann Arbor before becoming the offensive coordinator at UCLA in 2017. Fisch has also made seven different stops in the NFL with various franchise, and some wonder if he ultimately prefers to coach in the professional ranks.

Finally, Candle has been the head coach at Toledo since 2015, having lead the Rockets to two Mid-American Conference championships in 2017 and 2022. The 44-year-old has led Toledo to a 10-1 record this season, including a perfect 7-0 mark in conference play. The Rockets have already clinched a spot in the MAC Championship by winning the league's West division in 2023, where the Rockets will Miami (Ohio). While some have questioned Candle's legitimacy as a candidate for Michigan State, due to his extended period at Toledo, he's proven to be a winner and has strong recruiting ties to the state of Ohio, which was the backbone recruiting ground in former MSU head coach Mark Dantonio's successful tenure in East Lansing.

Spartan Nation will continue to monitor Michigan State's search for its next head football coach, and provide further reports as information becomes available.

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Matthew Lounsberry
MATTHEW LOUNSBERRY

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