It’s not often you talk about college football hires in February, but that’s what Mark Dantonio’s sudden retirement left Michigan State with.
The Spartans have reportedly found their replacement in the form of former Bears defensive coordinator Mel Tucker, according to The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman. Tucker had been Colorado’s coach in 2019, his first year as a head coach.
Tucker was the DC in 2013 and 2014 under Marc Trestman. In 2013, the Bears were 31st in yards allowed (6,313) and tied for 30th in points allowed (29.9 per game). The following year, the Bears were 30th in yards allowed (6,033) and 31st in points allowed (27.6 per game). Safe to say defense wasn’t a strong suit in the Trestman/Tucker era.
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After Tucker was replaced by Vic Fangio as Bears defensive coordinator, he coached defensive backs with Alabama for a year. Then he became Georgia’s defensive coordinator. Last year, he left that job to take over Colorado.
Tucker was 5-7 in his lone year at Colorado, which was the third straight 5-7 season for the Buffaloes. He takes over at Michigan State to replace the coach who had arguably the best tenure in school history.
Tucker began his coaching career as a grad assistant at Michigan State for Nick Saban, which goes along with the Alabama connection when he went there in 2015.
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