Top 3 'Group of Five' Head Coach Candidates for Michigan State Football
It is only September, but the coaching carousel has already begun. Michigan State has issued head coach Mel Tucker notice of termination of his contract, and Spartans’ safeties coach Harlon Barnett will act as the interim head coach for the remainder of MSU’s season.
So, who will replace Tucker in East Lansing for 2024?
After looking at our Top 3 ‘Power Five’ head coach candidates, I look at ‘Group of Five’ head coaches that are potential candidates for the job. These coaches aren’t as well known, but are on the verge of getting larger jobs. Michigan State may want to go in the direction of finding ‘the next big thing’, and each of these younger coaches are bound to land ‘Power Five’ jobs eventually.
Here are my Top 3 ‘Group of Five’ candidates:
Kane Wommack (South Alabama)
I may be higher than most on Wommack as a candidate, but he has the potential to be a ‘home run’ hire. Wommack is in his third season as the head coach at South Alabama, where he has elevated their program and its expectations. In 2022, the Jaguars went 10-3 with a share of the Sun Belt West division title.
In this age of college football, the transfer portal is a necessity to compete with other schools. Wommack has used the portal and had success with the roster he inherited, mixed with players he brought in. So far this season, South Alabama has already beaten a ‘Power Five’ school in Oklahoma State.
Prior to taking the South Alabama job, Wommack was the defensive coordinator at Indiana. In 2020, Indiana finished with a Top 20 total defense in the country, along with the fifth-highest turnover margin in the country.
Wommack is 36 years old, which makes him one of the younger head coaches in the country. His lack of head coaching experience may be a concern, but even if the Spartans don’t hire him he will be sought after by other programs. Jumping from South Alabama into a rebuilding Michigan State program may be a lot for a young head coach, but somebody is going to take a chance on him in the not-too-distant future.
Charles Huff (Marshall)
Huff is another younger head coach (40 years old), but may be more appealing for MSU. Going into his third year as head coach at Marshall, Huff is coming off a 9-4 season in 2022 with wins over then-No.8 Notre Dame and a bowl win. His track record is appealing, as he was a running backs coach at programs like Alabama, Penn State, Mississippi State, Maryland and Vanderbilt.
Huff’s appeal comes from his coaching pedigree, young age and a track record of sending players to the NFL. At Marshall, he has been successful in his CEO role and has formed an identity for the program. Marshall is off to another strong start this season at 2-0.
Despite being an offensive coach, Huff has never held an offensive coordinator position calling the plays. It’s not an issue, it just means the coordinator hires will be very important if he joins the Spartans. Similar to Wommack, Huff will be at the top of many coaching candidates lists this offseason, not just Michigan State’s.
Jason Candle (Toledo)
Candle has been at Toledo for quite some time now. Many might be scratching their heads wondering why he hasn’t gotten a larger job yet. In his eighth season as the Rockets’ head coach, Candle is yet to have a losing season. On staff at Toledo since 2009, Candle has worked his way up to head coach, taking over the program in 2016. He has a 56-33 overall record since, with two Mid-American Conference titles.
The appeal for Michigan State is Candle is deeply-rooted in Ohio and the Midwest landscape. Being familiar with the area in recruiting and having connections with the local coaches is important. Michigan State needs to do a better job recruiting players in Michigan and Ohio, and this is a potential candidate that would likely prioritize that issue.
Many wonder why Candle hasn’t been hired for a larger job yet. While the 43-year old has had constant success, Toledo has just one 10-plus win season under Candle in 2017. There is a stigma around MAC coaches that makes it difficult for them to take larger jobs. Being arguably the weakest ‘Group of Five’ conference, athletic directors are skeptical to hire head coaches from the conference.
A recent example is Sean Lewis, who became Colorado’s offensive coordinator in 2023 after being the head coach at Kent State for a number of years. Now, after just a month into the season at Colorado, he is one of the most popular names in college football for head coaching jobs.
