Replacing Mark Dantonio: Who Should You Bet On To Become Michigan State’s New Head Coach?
Betting On Mark Dantonio’s Replacement
Mark Dantonio has retired from his head coaching position at Michigan State. Betting odds have been released as to who will replace him.
Before making an pick, let’s rule out potential favorites.
Ruling Out Luke Fickell
Current Cincinnati head coach Luke Fickell is likely Spartan nation's most desired candidate. He’s the second-most favored option at BetOnline and his name is constantly being linked with Michigan State.
While the noise is loud, I don’t find Fickell to be a plausible option.
For starters, he is building a historically successful program at Cincinnati. His Bearcats earned 11 wins in each of the past two seasons.
The future continues to be bright at Cincinnati with historically high-profile recruits come in. His recruiting class is the AAC’s top one.
Part of the reason for Fickell’s success in recruiting is that he is able to nab recruits from Michigan State.
After all, Cincinnati is not too far from East Lansing and Fickell’s rising program is able to do more than just compete with Michigan State’s prospects.
This last point is important because you have to ask what Fickell could gain from joining Michigan State. He wouldn’t definitely be coaching higher-level talent.
The Spartan program is very much trending downward after two 7-6 seasons that were plagued by atrocious offensive play and a decreasingly dominant defense.
More importantly, Michigan State’s future looks rather bleak. Its 2020 recruiting class ranks 10th in the Big Ten.
So it seems like any new head coach would have to wait some time before finding much success in a Spartan program that regularly competes with top-notch programs like Penn State, Ohio State, and Michigan.
In betting on a head coaching prospect, i’m looking for a coach who really stands to gain from joining Michigan State as he has to be willing to endure a slow start.
I don’t see Fickell as this option.
Looking For More Realistic Candidates
Pat Narduzzi could seem like a more realistic candidate given his ties to Michigan State where he acted as the team’s defensive coordinator for several years.
But sort of like Fickell, I can’t imagine Narduzzi wanting to give up what he has going at Pitt, which finished 8-5 last year and was competitive in the ACC Coastal Division.
His incoming recruiting class is ranked one spot behind Michigan State’s. So he wouldn’t really be getting to coach more talent.
Blake Anderson
To me, Blake Anderson is a solid long-shot betting option.
Anderson is the current head coach of Arkansas State, a low-profile program in a low-profile conference.
He must be a uniquely desired candidate because his teams have been one of the nation’s most successful in terms of scoring offense.
Dantonio was the (deserved) recipient of tremendous ire from Spartan nation for merely shuffling the coaching staff last offseason.
So nothing changed and Michigan State’s offense continued to be fairly unwatchable.
It would be hoped that Anderson brings that positive change with his proven track record on offense.
As evident from his talks in December with Missouri, he's also looking to join even a not-so-competitive Power Five school, which would be a step up for his career because of the prestige factor.
Arkansas State has the 94th-ranked recruiting class coming in. So he’d get to coach greater talent.
Mike Tressel
Tressel is currently favored at BetOnline to take the job.
He has already been named interim head coach.
Tressel already knows the ins-and-outs of the program as he’s spent 13 years at Michigan State where he’s served as assistant head coach, linebacker coach, and defensive coordinator.
If Michigan State can’t find its desired candidate, Tressel is a reliable option.
Consider, also, that in addition to a bare cupboard in terms of recruiting, Michigan State could face some NCAA violations.
Dantonio retired amidst these violations. So they could be serious. And they could deter an outside coaching candidate, which means that Tressel would almost definitely be named head coach at least for 2020.
The Verdict
Anderson is a nice long-shot candidate given his track record especially on offense and given his willingness to join even an uncompetitive Power Five school. You can invest a little in Anderson in hope of a sweet payout.
But given Michigan State’s current status — its poor recruiting and looming NCAA violations, Tressel at plus money is my best pick.
Best Bet: Mike Tressel (+110) with BetOnline
Betting On Mark Dantonio’s Replacement
Mark Dantonio has retired from his head coaching position at Michigan State. Betting odds have been released as to who will replace him.
Before making an pick, let’s rule out potential favorites.
Ruling Out Luke Fickell
Current Cincinnati head coach Luke Fickell is likely Spartan nation's most desired candidate. He’s the second-most favored option at BetOnline and his name is constantly being linked with Michigan State.
While the noise is loud, I don’t find Fickell to be a plausible option.
For starters, he is building a historically successful program at Cincinnati. His Bearcats earned 11 wins in each of the past two seasons.
The future continues to be bright at Cincinnati with historically high-profile recruits come in. His recruiting class is the AAC’s top one.
Part of the reason for Fickell’s success in recruiting is that he is able to nab recruits from Michigan State.
After all, Cincinnati is not too far from East Lansing and Fickell’s rising program is able to do more than just compete with Michigan State’s prospects.
This last point is important because you have to ask what Fickell could gain from joining Michigan State. He wouldn’t definitely be coaching higher-level talent.
The Spartan program is very much trending downward after two 7-6 seasons that were plagued by atrocious offensive play and a decreasingly dominant defense.
More importantly, Michigan State’s future looks rather bleak. Its 2020 recruiting class ranks 10th in the Big Ten.
So it seems like any new head coach would have to wait some time before finding much success in a Spartan program that regularly competes with top-notch programs like Penn State, Ohio State, and Michigan.
In betting on a head coaching prospect, i’m looking for a coach who really stands to gain from joining Michigan State as he has to be willing to endure a slow start.
I don’t see Fickell as this option.
Looking For More Realistic Candidates
Pat Narduzzi could seem like a more realistic candidate given his ties to Michigan State where he acted as the team’s defensive coordinator for several years.
But sort of like Fickell, I can’t imagine Narduzzi wanting to give up what he has going at Pitt, which finished 8-5 last year and was competitive in the ACC Coastal Division.
His incoming recruiting class is ranked one spot behind Michigan State’s. So he wouldn’t really be getting to coach more talent.
Blake Anderson
To me, Blake Anderson is a solid long-shot betting option.
Anderson is the current head coach of Arkansas State, a low-profile program in a low-profile conference.
He must be a uniquely desired candidate because his teams have been one of the nation’s most successful in terms of scoring offense.
Dantonio was the (deserved) recipient of tremendous ire from Spartan nation for merely shuffling the coaching staff last offseason.
So nothing changed and Michigan State’s offense continued to be fairly unwatchable.
It would be hoped that Anderson brings that positive change with his proven track record on offense.
As evident from his talks in December with Missouri, he's also looking to join even a not-so-competitive Power Five school, which would be a step up for his career because of the prestige factor.
Arkansas State has the 94th-ranked recruiting class coming in. So he’d get to coach greater talent.
Mike Tressel
Tressel is currently favored at BetOnline to take the job.
He has already been named interim head coach.
Tressel already knows the ins-and-outs of the program as he’s spent 13 years at Michigan State where he’s served as assistant head coach, linebacker coach, and defensive coordinator.
If Michigan State can’t find its desired candidate, Tressel is a reliable option.
Consider, also, that in addition to a bare cupboard in terms of recruiting, Michigan State could face some NCAA violations.
Dantonio retired amidst these violations. So they could be serious. And they could deter an outside coaching candidate, which means that Tressel would almost definitely be named head coach at least for 2020.
The Verdict
Anderson is a nice long-shot candidate given his track record especially on offense and given his willingness to join even an uncompetitive Power Five school. You can invest a little in Anderson in hope of a sweet payout.
But given Michigan State’s current status — its poor recruiting and looming NCAA violations, Tressel at plus money is my best pick.
Best Bet: Mike Tressel (+110) with BetOnline
