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Mel Tucker coaching on a hot seat? 247 Sports analyst Josh Pate debates

Paul Harvey

By Paul Harvey

Published:

Mel Tucker is entering the 2023 season looking to turn things around after a losing record a year ago. Not only was it a step back for his program, it came on the heels of a massive new contract for Tucker during the 2021 season.

With such a hefty contract in place, some have wondered if Tucker is coaching on a hot seat this season should Michigan State fall below .500 in back-to-back years. Josh Pate with 247 Sports pushed back on that idea, pointing to the massive amount of guaranteed money that Tucker would be due if he’s fired without cause.

“Naturally, everyone looks at this and says ‘Oh, well if they go sub-.500 again, Mel Tucker’s out of there.’ Is he though? Is he really out of there? What I’m asking you is: Are you really about to pay that man $76 million not to coach football? Fully guaranteed if they fire him without cause, and they can’t say ‘We have cause, it’s cause we are losing.’ Not how that works.”

Pate went on to explain some of the issues related to parting ways with Tucker early include the redirection of private funds. In the past, donors might use their money to fund a coach payout, but some of that money is now being used to fund NIL deals.

Of course, anything could happen, but Pate does not see a changing of the guard anytime soon in East Lansing. Here’s his full segment on the situation:

Paul Harvey

Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.