Tag: Michigan State Football

Locked On Spartans Podcast: Luke Fickle Fallout

Luke Fickle tuns down Michigan State. Now what?

Wil and Matt react to Luke Fickle turning down Michigan State and try to suggest some possible new candidates. Then they light up MSU’s athletic department and administrative leadership.

You can find the episode on iTunes, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.

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New York Giants assistant coach Bret Bielema interested in MSU Football coaching job

Former Wisconsin Badgers head coach Bret Bielema is interested in the Michigan State Football head coaching position.

Many MSU Football fans were despondent today, and perhaps rightfully so, after finding out the news that the candidate who seemed most likely to join the Spartans as their next head coach, Cincinnati coach Luke Fickell, had turned down the job. Despite the apparent setback, the coaching search continues, and former multi-time Big Ten champion Bret Bielema has expressed ‘definite interest’ in the position, according to Rainer Sabin of the Detroit Free Press.

Bielema was the 2006 Big Ten Coach of the Year and won three Big Ten championships in a row from 2010-2012 with the Wisconsin Badgers. He would go on to Arkansas where he was… less successful. He is now the outside linebackers coach and senior assistant for the New York Giants. He just joined the team after previously acting as the Defensive Line Coach for the New England Patriots in 2019.

Bielema’s success in the Big Ten, and experience, certainly can’t be overlooked.

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Former Michigan State football players call for Harlon Barnett to be next head coach

There’s no doubt who these former players want leading Michigan State next season.

It’s quite obvious who former Michigan State football players want to be the next head coach.

Not long after Cincinnati coach Luke Fickell declined the offer to be the next coach at MSU, tweets started pouring in from former players in support of former Michigan State co-defensive coordinator Harlon Barnett. Barnett left Michigan State after the 2017 season to be the defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach at Florida State. Barnett was not retained after former FSU coach Willie Taggart was fired and is currently without a coaching job.

Here’s just a sampling of some of the tweets in support of Barnett.

A lot of the players in the above tweets were specifically coached by Barnett, who was also defensive backs coach during his time at MSU. But it is certainly notable that there are some offensive players in there as well and some former players who never played under Barnett. Also included is Montez Sweat, who was kicked off the Michigan State team in 2016, but still has positive things to say about Barnett.

Who knows if former players rising around him in support will get Barnett a look at the job, but if it does and he ends up getting it, at the very least he’ll have the support of some very import alumni.

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REACTION: Luke Fickell turns down Michigan State

From the heart. How this blogger feels about MSU’s coaching search.

Hello, darkness, my old friend
I’ve come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence

In restless dreams I walked alone
Narrow streets of cobblestone
‘Neath the halo of a streetlamp
I turned my collar to the cold and damp
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
That split the night
And touched the sound of silence

And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more
People talking without speaking
People hearing without listening
People writing songs that voices never share
No one dared
Disturb the sound of silence

“Fools,” said I, “You do not know
Silence like a cancer grows
Hear my words that I might teach you
Take my arms that I might reach you.”
But my words like silent raindrops fell
And echoed in the wells of silence

And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon god they made
And the sign flashed out its warning
In the words that it was forming
And the sign said, “The words of the prophets
Are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls
And whispered in the sounds of silence.”

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Luke Fickell to turn down Michigan State job, remain with Cincinnati

According to Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports, former Ohio State coach/player Luke Fickell will turn down Michigan State, remain at Cincinnati.

Former Ohio State football player and head/assistant coach Luke Fickell has turned down the Michigan State job, and will remain at Cincinnati according to a report from Pete Thamel of the Yahoo! Sports.

The long-time Spartan head coach surprised everyone this past week by announcing his retirement just before the traditional National Signing Day. In the days that followed, Luke Fickell quickly became Michigan State’s top target. Because of the timing, things had to move quickly.

According to multiple reports, Michigan State athletic director Bill Beekman landed in Cincinnati to interview Fickell Saturday but the two parted without a deal in place. Clearly, Fickell was listening and keeping his options open, but after a couple of days, it appears as though he’ll be staying with the Bearcats for the foreseeable future.

Fickell has quickly turned Cincinnati back into a contender in the American Athletic Conference. After taking over the program and steering it to a 4-8 season in 2017, Fickell then led the team to an 11-2 record in 2018, and followed that up with another eleven win season in 2019 — nearly becoming the Group of Five representative in the New Years’ Six Bowls. He was named the AAC Coach of the Year in 2017.

While many thought Fickell would jump at a chance to take a perceived step up to a Power Five Big Ten school, those that know him best cautioned that this was not a done deal. They now appear to be right. In fact, the Columbus Dispatch did a story on his desire to remain in Cincinnati for the stability of his family.

Besides, it sure would have been strange for a diehard Buckeye to lead a Michigan State program on the other side of a rivalry with Michigan.

Now we’ll have to see where the Spartans turn for their next target after exhausting so much energy here.

 

MSU Athletic Department briefing Board of Trustees on head coaching search Monday

Michigan State Athletic Director Bill Beekman is meeting with the Board of Trustees to discuss the head coaching search Monday, Feb. 10.

Amidst a firestorm of rumors around the University of Cincinnati football head coach Luke Fickell, the Michigan State University Athletic Department will meet with the University’s Board of Trustees on Monday to brief them on the search. This was reported by Nick Mantas, reporter and anchor for WLNS, a Lansing TV station.

What isn’t a rumor is that Michigan State Athletic Director Bill Beekman was in Cincinnati this weekend. As of right now, Fickell is the clear top choice and the only name who has been brought up as an interviewee who has not publicly declined the role.

Colorado head coach Mel Tucker removed his name from consideration for the role on Saturday morning. San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh declined to interview, stating he had unfinished business in the NFL with San Francisco. Former MSU defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi was a name that was initially floated for the role, but he quickly killed that rumor in hilarious fashion.

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The Michigan State Football and Luke Fickell head coaching saga as told by Twitter

Michigan State Athletic Director Bill Beekman was in Cincinnati this weekend to interview Luke Fickell and Twitter lost their minds.

Michigan State Football has launched into a full-on head coaching search after the sudden retirement of Mark Dantonio. The odds on favorite of the fanbase, and seemingly of the University, is Cincinnati coach Luke Fickell. MSU’s athletic director Bill Beekman was set to interview Fickell this weekend, and the ensuing investigation by social media detectives and media members was, frankly, hilarious. Here is a retelling of what happened, through the eyes of social media.

The first part of this saga took place when the news was broken by Brandon Saho of Cincinnati TV station WLWT that Bill Beekman had landed in Cincinnati to visit with Luke Fickell, instead of Fickell coming up to East Lansing:

David Jesse of the Detroit Free Press originally reported that Beekman would be flying to State College, Pennsylvania, home of Penn State:

WLWT sports reporter Brandon Saho and Detroit Free Press report David Jesse were tracking the private jet at the Lunken Municipal Airport of Cincinnati, which had an updated flight path to Lansing instead of State College:

This picture above sparked a series of funny jokes on social media as fans tried to figure out who was wearing the heels in that photo:

Bill Beekman arrived back in Lansing on a private plane, but he was not accompanied by Fickell:

There have been some rumors floating around that Fickell will be signing later this week, although that is pure speculation and rumor so take that with a major grain of salt. For now, MSU’s mascot advises some patience from fans:

Instead of patience, most fans and media members are choosing a different route: Twitter sleuthing.

The End… for now.

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Colorado HC Mel Tucker removes name from consideration for MSU Football job

Colorado’s head coach Mel Tucker reaffirmed his commitment to Colorado this afternoon on Twitter.

Yesterday, there was a report from Chris Solari of the Detroit Free Press stating that anonymous sources inside the MSU Football program said that Colorado head coach Mel Tucker would be interviewing for the Michigan State head coaching job, left vacant by the now-retired Mark Dantonio, along with Cincinnati coach Luke Fickell. Today, Mel Tucker released a statement saying that he is committed to Colorado, removing his name from consideration for the opening.

Here is Tucker’s statement, which he posted on his Twitter account:

As of right now, Mel Tucker, Pittsburgh head coach Pat Narduzzi, and San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh have all removed their names from consideration for the position. That leaves Luke Fickell as the only coach who is heavily rumored for the role who has not directly denied interest in the position.

It is hard to tell how long this coaching search will continue. You would think they would want to wrap it up fairly quickly. I would not be surprised at all if Fickell accepts the job next week. If it’s not him, there are some names they could go after but this could drag out longer than they’d like.

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MSU Football interviewing two head coaching candidates this weekend

Cincinnati head coach Luke Fickell and Colorado head coach Mel Tucker will be in East Lansing this weekend to interview for the vacancy.

Michigan State Football lost their head coach since November 2006 this week, seemingly out of nowhere and are now trying to find a suitable replacement for what should be a highly sought after coaching position. This weekend MSU will be interviewing two candidates for the job in Luke Fickell and Mel Tucker.

The news was broken today by David Jesse and Chris Solari of the Detroit Free Press.

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Fickell has been the head coach at Cincinnati for the past three seasons and served one season as the interim head coach for Ohio State before they hired Urban Meyer. He was the co-defensive coordinator at Ohio State from 2005-10 and then from 2012-16. Fickel is 26-13 as head coach of the Bearcats.

Mel Tucker has an interesting resumè that includes stops with Ohio State, Georgia, the Chicago Bears, and the Jacksonville Jaguars. He is currently the head coach of Colorado where he had an unimpressive 5-7 season. He served under Dantonio at Ohio State as his defensive backs coach, which explains why MSU gave him a call.

Worth noting, San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh has turned down an offer to interview for the position.

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