Rumored Michigan State Head Coach Candidate: 'I haven't talked to any schools'
As Michigan State football continues to battle through a five-game losing streak, followers of the program are anxiously waiting any news, hint or clue as to who the Spartans' next head coach will be.
One name that emerged as a potential candidate was Washington State head coach Jake Dickert, who led the Cougars to a 4-0 start and a No. 13 ranking by the Associated Press before three consecutive losses to tough opponents. In an interview last week with West Coast sports radio host John Canzano, Dickert was asked if he had heard from or met with Michigan State during Washington State's Week 5 bye week.
“I have not talked to a single person, not just in the bye week, but any week,” Dickert said. “You know, I love being here and I don’t need to defend my position here at Washington State. This is a job that I’m here to do and move our program forward and into the future. We’re excited about that, and that’s been our only focus really the whole time.”
Asked again if he's been contacted by any programs about a job opening, Dickert doubled-down.
“I haven’t talked to any schools, ever,” Dickert said.
Dickert took over at Washington State on an interim basis for the final six games of the Cougars 2021 season, leading them to a 3-3 record. He was then awarded the full-time job and led Washington State to a 7-6 mark in 2022. After this season's 4-0 start, which included a win over current-No. 11 Oregon State, the Cougars have lost three tough games in a row to No. 23 UCLA, Arizona and No. 8 Oregon.
Earlier in the year, following the unbeaten start, Dickert was asked in a press conference whether he had heard from Michigan State about its job opening.
“These are the things that come with team success. We wouldn’t be talking about these if we were 2-2. We wouldn’t be talking about these things if we were 0-4," Dickert said.
“I love my job. I love being here. We’re focused on right here, right now. Not on the past, not on the future, this team and what it means to everybody in the building. … I have not talked to any university out there. We’re focused on right here, right now, and what we’re going to do with this team.”
Dickert played college football at Wisconsin-Stevens Point, and began his coaching career as a grad assistant at his alma mater in 2007. During his career, Dickert has coached at North Dakota, South Dakota, Missouri, Minnesota, and Wyoming. He was hired by then-Washington State head coach Nick Rolovich to be the Cougars' defensive coordinator in 2020, but took over after Rolovich was fired the following year.
Michigan State interim head coach Harlon Barnett stepped into a tough situation when he agreed to lead MSU for the remainder of the 2023 season following head coach Mel Tucker's suspension and later termination. While Barnett has aspired to be the full-time head coach of the Spartans, those dreams have likely been dashed by an 0-5 start to his interim tenure.
Earlier this year, Michigan State athletic director Alan Haller wrote a letter to the MSU community, stating he and his staff would “thoroughly evaluate” a number of candidates but will not provide regular updates on the search.
“I expect that you will hear a lot of names and rumors,” Haller said. “I expect to speak with many individuals throughout this process. While some are candidates, others will be resources for me as I go about my due diligence to ensure the best hire for Michigan State.”
The full exchange between Washington State's Jake Dickert and radio host John Canzano can be viewed below:
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