We don’t know yet who will be the new head coach of the Michigan State football team. We do, though, know who it won’t be. Reportedly.
Tuesday afternoon, Mark Dantonio set the college football world ablaze by announcing that he is stepping down after 13 seasons as the Michigan State football head coach. At a subsequent press conference, Dantonio confirmed that he informed his Spartans players and coaches of his decision earlier in the day. The administration was informed prior to Tuesday.
When it comes to finding a replacement, the university reportedly wasted no time in kicking off a search for Dantonio’s replacement. By way of the Des Moines Register, MSU reached out to Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell Tuesday regarding the opening. According to the Register, the school was “quickly rebuffed” by Campbell.
Campbell just completed his fourth season in Ames. His current record stands at 26-25 overall and 18-18 in Big 12 play. In the three years prior to his arrival, the Cyclones went 8-28. ISU has also appeared in three straight bowl games for the first time since 2000-02.
In December of last year, the university announced yet another contract extension for Campbell. That extension came not long after Campbell’s name was mentioned in connection to the Florida State job.
With Campbell out of the picture, the search will continue in East Lansing. According to a report from the Detroit Free Press, Cincinnati’s Luke Fickell is the front-runner for the job. FootballScoop.com, though, has a different report on the Fickell angle:
Pat Narduzzi has also been mentioned prominently as a potential replacement. The current head coach at Pitt, Narduzzi was the defensive coordinator at MSU from 2007-14.
