Michigan State Football: Betting odds on Spartans' next head coach candidates
Michigan State football will have a new head coach in 2024 after Mel Tucker was fired for cause amidst allegations of sexual harassment, with the investigation regarding the accusations of Tucker still on-going.
Regardless of the investigation's outcome, Tucker burned bridges when he threw the university under the bus with his released statement last week, which virtually ended any chance he would be retained by MSU — even if Tucker's side of the story is completely true.
With that, the biggest question on the table for the program is, 'Who will be the next head coach?' and BetMichigan has already released hypothetical odds on who will lead the Spartans in 2024.
As you can see above, current acting head coach Harlon Barnett has the best odds, currently, of being retained by Michigan State. That shouldn't be surprising, given the fact that he's in the position now on an interim basis and will have the opportunity to make his case for the full-time job as the 2023 season continues.
Fair or unfair, public opinion on Barnett took a huge hit when Michigan State was beaten soundly this past Saturday by Washington, 41-7, in Barnett's debut as acting head coach. If they weren't already, that result likely has MSU fans seeking other options to lead the Spartans next season.
The next best odds belong to a familiar name to Michigan State fans. Wisconsin defensive coordinator Mike Tressel spent 13 years in East Lansing as an assistant under former HC Mark Dantonio, serving as MSU's defensive coordinator for five of those seasons. Tressel was retained in 2020 by Tucker, before joining Luke Fickell's staff at Cincinnati in 2021 and following Fickell to Wisconsin this season.
The third option reads, "Chris Elko", but it actually current Duke head coach Mike Elko, who would be an excellent option for Michigan State. The concern with Elko is that he's only in his second year as a head coach, but he's had immediate success with the Blue Devils.
Duke went 9-4 under Elko in 2022, and the Blue Devils are off to a 3-0 start and up to No. 18 in the Associated Press' Top 25 poll in 2023. Duke upset then-No. 9 Clemson in Week 1 this season.
Prior to being hired at Duke, Elko was a longtime college defensive coordinator at Texas A&M, Notre Dame, Wake Forest and Bowling Green. Elko has 23 years of experience as an assistant coach in college football, in addition to his current experience as a head coach.
Like Elko, Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman would also be a very good hire for the Spartans. Klieman won four national championships at the FCS level at North Dakota State before being hired by K-State, and he led the Wildcats to a Big 12 championship just last season.
Outside of the COVID-shortened 2020 season, Klieman has led Kansas State to a winning record in each of his full seasons in Manhattan. In 10-plus seasons as a head coach, Klieman has an overall record of 104-34.
As for the other options listed — Marshall head coach Charles Huff would be an interesting candidate. He holds an 18-10 record in two-plus years with the Thundering Herd, and was an assistant coach under Nick Saban at Alabama for two years (2019-20).
Former MSU defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi was an option for Michigan State back in 2020 when Dantonio suddenly retired, but that ship has probably sailed at this point. Narduzzi is 63-42 in eight-plus seasons as Pittsburgh's head coach.
Current Ohio State wide receivers coach and offensive coordinator Brian Hartline would be a flashy hire for MSU, but I don't think it's very realistic. While Hartline is an outstanding recruiter, and knows the Big Ten well as a former Buckeye player, he's never been a head coach before and I don't know that he'd leave Columbus for East Lansing.
Same goes for former Wisconsin defensive coordinator Jim Leonard. While he was once considered one of the top D-coordinators in the sport with the Badgers, he doesn't have any head coaching experience.
Michigan State likely needs a guy with head coaching experience to rebuild the program. Toledo's Jason Candle holds that distinction, currently in his ninth season leading the Rockets, but I think MSU should aim higher in their coaching search. Candle has gone 56-33 with two Mid-American Conference championships at Toledo.
New names will emerge in the coming weeks but, for now, Michigan State's focus will remain on competing for bowl eligibility in 2023.
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