Michigan State is already looking towards next year as the school needs to find a new football head coach after ousting Mel Tucker. While they've struggled this year, the Spartans still present coaches with a desirable job, but one potential candidate has officially taken his name out of the running.
Kansas head coach Lance Leipold was rumored to be on a short list of candidates for the top job at Michigan State last week. But in his weekly radio interview, Leipold denied that he has interest in any job but the one he currently has, saying that he is happy with the Jayhawks.
“This is the only interview and that’s the way it’s going to be,” Leipold said, via 247sports.com. “The one thing that happens this time of year, is there’s a lot of speculation and things that are happening that are not accurate. As I’ve said for a long time, [Kansas Athletic Director] Travis Goff and Chancellor Girod have treated Kelly and I extremely well and our family. It is our plan and our expectation that we want to be here and this is going to be the last job that we have.”
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Leipold is in his third season at Kansas, coming over to Lawrence following six seasons with the University of Buffalo. After a 2-10 season in 2021, Leipold led Kansas to six wins last year, the most wins for the Jayhawks since 2008 and got the team ranked for the first time since 2009. This year, Kansas is 7-2 and in the middle of their best season since going 12-1 in 2007.
The Spartans fired Tucker for cause in September after the head coach was accused of sexual assault earlier in the season. Harlon Barnett is currently serving as the interim head coach.
