The New York Giants had a bit of a scare this week with word that outside linebackers coach/senior assistant, Bret Bielema, was “very interested” in the Michigan State head coaching job — an interest that was apparently mutual.
However, Big Blue dodged that bullet on Wednesday with reports that MSU has instead decided to hire Mel Tucker as their next head coach.
BREAKING: #CU coach Mel Tucker has agreed in principle to become the new head coach at #MichiganState, per sources. After Tucker turned down initial interest, MSU power brokers came back repeatedly to Tucker’s reps w/ an offer that was impossible to ignore https://t.co/qjOH0qKirQ
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) February 12, 2020
In addition to Bielema, MSU was also reportedly interested in former Giants head coach Pat Shurmur for the position, but he ultimately remained with the Denver Broncos as their offensive coordinator.
With Bielema remaining in place, Giants head coach Joe Judge will not be forced back into recruitment mode and can instead look ahead to the NFL Combine in Indianapolis.
“There’s a lot of things (to like) about Bret,” Judge said last week. “I think Bret brings a great personality to the group, brings a great perspective on how he sees the game, he’s coached the front for some time, he’s coordinated defenses at a high level. Players respond to Bret in a positive way. He has a great way of teaching, he has a great way of getting the guys motivated, and he gets the most out of his players.
“He brings experience from the NFL, as well as college, so not only does he understand what’s going on in the league now, he understands what the players coming from college are used to and how to better translate the trends they’re going to see.”
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