While many, including us at Spartans Wire, have outlined some options for who MSU should pursue to be their next head coach, it was 97.1 The Ticket host, Spartans Illustrated contributor, and noted Michigan State media member Rico Beard who has taken the airways and social media by storm, suggesting that Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman should be the Spartans’ top choice as next head coach, as outlined by Fighting Irish Wire.
A new coaching search in East Lansing stems following a massive USA TODAY investigation, with Michigan State athletic director Alan Haller announcing to the public that the University plans to fire Mel Tucker for cause.
Buy Spartans TicketsWhile on the surface, Beard’s comments felt a little outlandish, and even a bit of wishful thinking, but after digging into it, I’m here to tell Spartan Nation that I don’t think it is that crazy of an idea after all, and it actually could be very plausible.
You can find my reasoning below.
Why MSU would do it
This first part feels quite simple. Michigan State Athletic Director Alan Haller wants to make a splash with this hire, and more importantly, show that MSU still belongs at the big boy table.
I believe MSU will be looking to poach a power five coach, to show that they are still one of the premier jobs in the sport, and what better way to show your strength and prowess as a program than stealing Notre Dame’s coach?
Freeman would be a home run hire for MSU. He is young, a Midwest guy who is a good defensive coach and recruiter, and someone who could step in and make immediate impact.
Would Notre Dame let him leave?
Could Notre Dame be having some buyer’s remorse after tabbing Freeman to succeed Brian Kelly?
The school tried to be innovative and hire the up and coming guy, albeit without head coaching experience, who was the hottest name on the block. But it hasn’t totally worked out to perfection for the school thus far.
Freeman lost his first game in a bad way in 2021, blowing a 28-7 lead in the Fiesta Bowl to Oklahoma State. In his first full year, 2022, the Fighting Irish finished with a respectable 9-4 record, but had tough losses to Marshall and Stanford.
So far in 2023, the team suffered a tough loss to OSU, and if they go 9-4 again, the powers at be at Notre Dame may be be looking for a way out.
Simply put, if ND isn’t at least 10-2, I could totally see them second guessing the Freeman hire and, if he got an offer elsewhere, they might let him walk.
Of note, Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick is set to retire in 2023.
Why would Freeman do it?
What if Freeman has started to feel some pressure to get him out, and there are whispers of the donors, administration, etc. wanting him out? What shows strength, and shows that he is a hot candidate? It could be appealing for him to take more money to jump to another big program, and one that would have lower expectations (at first) than Notre Dame.
Many people on social media are dismissing the idea saying that there’s no way he ever does it, but my answer would be, why not? If he goes 9-3 and he’s hearing the whispers and feels some walls closing in on him, why not take a raise to a top-20 job in college football inside one of the two premier conferences, with a new $30-million facility that is almost done.
Money
Because Notre Dame is a private institution, we do not know exactly how much Freeman is making, but Rico Beard speculated that he is on a “prove it” deal. That line of thinking aligns with many reports and Freeman is most likely in the $3-4.5 million dollar range.
Michigan State would be able to come in at at least $6 million at a bare minimum, and I think they could do as much as $8 million with general ease.
Many in the CFB world are saying ‘there is no way they can spend that much money again’, but let me bring you back to reality: If MSU wants a good coach, they’re going to be spending north of $6 million to get them in today’s market.
Conclusion
While it would depend on Notre Dame finishing with less than 10 wins this season, I do believe that Freeman and MSU would make sense for each other if Notre Dame is not happy with a 9-3 season this year.
The idea from Rico Beard is not that far fetched.
