Spartan Nation

How Texas A&M, other job openings impact Michigan State's head coach search

The Spartans were the biggest fish in the head coaching search pond until the Aggies fired Jimbo Fisher. With Texas A&M, Mississippi State and Boise State now in the market for a new coach, what does that mean for Michigan State?

Aedan Mulcrone

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We are in the final stretch of the 2023 college football season. Schools are being eliminated from College Football Playoff and bowl contention, and athletic directors are evaluating their head coaches and the future of their programs.

This past weekend, Texas A&M fired head coach Jimbo Fisher, Boise State fired Andy Avalos, and early Monday morning Mississippi State fired head coach Zach Arnett. Arnett’s firing came as a bit of a surprise after being the head coach for less than one season. He was promoted after the sudden death of former head coach Mike Leach. Fisher was fired after six seasons at Texas A&M because he vastly under-delivered on the high expectations his massive contract created.

These are the first head coaching jobs to open since Michigan State fired head coach Mel Tucker in September. Other jobs are bound to open up soon after the season is over, but what do these three openings mean for Michigan State right now?

The situation at Texas A&M may change the Spartans’ plans now that MSU is no longer the biggest-name program looking for a new head coach. Texas A&M is one of the biggest spenders in the sport and Fisher’s buyout is the largest ever at an estimated $76 million, which the Aggie boosters seem more than willing to pay. Similar to Tucker’s contract extension, Fisher’s contract extension in 202 reset the market for head coaches, with a fully guaranteed 10-year, $95 million agreement. With the boosters poised to spend big, the Aggies will get the first pick for any head coach they want.

There are four key names linked to Michigan State’s reported shortlist of candidates who have also been named potential candidates for Texas A&M’s search — Duke’s Mike Elko, Kansas State’s Chris Klieman, Kansas’ Lance Leipold and Oregon State’s Jonathan Smith. Elko was the defensive coordinator at Texas A&M for four seasons, and he recruited some players who are still on the Aggies’ roster. Texas A&M’s ties to Elko, its location in a recruiting hotbed of talent and it’s higher funding means it would win a bidding war against Michigan State and most other programs for any coach.

If Michigan State athletic director Alan Haller believes any of those four is the right man for the Spartans’ job, particularly Elko, he should act fast to get ahead of A&M’s process. Klieman has already denied interest when asked about Michigan State’s opening, but that doesn’t necessarily count him out as a candidate for the Spartans. Both Leipold and Smith are believed to be very high on MSU’s shortlist.

Moving on, how does Mississippi State’s head coach vacancy impact Michigan State’s search?

Mississippi State doesn't have the funding Michigan State and Texas A&M do, but it’s still an SEC school and needs to make a quality hire in order to compete. I expect Leipold and Wake Forest’s Dave Clawson, both of whom are on Michigan State’s shortlist, to be candidates for Mississippi State as well. If the folks in Starkville, Miss. aren’t willing to pay a coach as much as Michigan State could, I’d expect the Bulldogs to act fast if they are looking at some of the same candidates.

Finally, while Boise State is one of the premier jobs in the Group of Five conferences, its search should have no impact on what happens in East Lansing. Michigan State can vastly outspend Boise State, and has vastly more resources and recruiting capabilities. The Broncos provide no threat whatsoever.

Michigan State has the benefit of having at least a month-long head start on its coaching search than any of these other programs mentioned. Haller has a great chance at landing the head coach that he wants. Although MSU may have some competition now, the Spartans’ program is still the second-most storied program on the market right now. More schools are going to enter the coaching carousel, but none should provide bigger opportunities than Texas A&M or Michigan State.

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Aedan Mulcrone
AEDAN MULCRONE

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