Coaches into consideration at MSU: Dickert, Smith, Leipold, Clawson

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Now we have an replace on Michigan State’s teaching search. Over the previous 24 hours, Clint Cosgrove, Ryan O’Bleness, and David Harns have been talking with sources and evaluating notes. Right here’s what we will affirm as of Nov. 3, 2023.

Michigan State is at present pursuing 4 candidates for its head soccer coach opening. To be clear, our sources will not be indicating that these are the one candidates Michigan State is wanting into for the pinnacle teaching emptiness.

Michigan State has its record and is now within the means of making an attempt to safe interviews, a course of that didn’t start till the center of this week. From our understanding, we don’t consider a proper interview has taken place as of but.

A number of sources with direct information of the teaching search have confirmed to us that Michigan State is closely within the following 4 coaches:

– Jake Dickert (Washington State head coach)

– Jonathan Smith (Oregon State head coach)

– Lance Leipold (Kansas head coach)

– Dave Clawson (Wake Forest head coach)

Their representatives have been contacted by Michigan State, in line with our sources, and formal interviews are being pursued. Whereas researching and vetting this story, we now have realized that Michigan State prefers a sitting head coach that has achieved a sure degree of success. Our sources point out MSU’s choice is for an skilled head coach, somewhat than elevating a coordinator.

Info is sluggish to return out as a result of Michigan State is purposefully protecting issues near the vest, and since the Spartans wish to rent a head coach who’s at present main a special program. The coaches into consideration would favor to not be publicly tied to MSU at this juncture as they’ve one other locker room to keep up. Their folks wish to hold it as quiet as potential.

Whereas we’re not ruling out coordinators or different coaches (Elko, and many others) at this juncture, our sources point out that it appears extra possible that MSU is focusing on head coaches who’ve expertise operating profitable packages.

Dickert, Smith and Leipold have been introduced up earlier than – each on this web site and elsewhere – however we heard Clawson’s title as a professional candidate for the primary time in the present day.

Dickert (age 40) and Smith (age 44) make sense as younger coaches who could be thought of to have a whole lot of potential with the sources Michigan State can supply. Be mindful, the Pac-12 Convention can be crumbling, and Washington State and Oregon State are the final remaining faculties within the convention, which is able to clearly result in misplaced income and extra restricted sources for these two faculties.

Smith is an Oregon State alumnus and all of his teaching stops have been out west, nonetheless, and that would hold him in Corvallis. But when there was ever a time to take a look at younger Pac-12 coaches and entice them to make a transfer to the Midwest, it might be now.

In the meantime, Dickert has Midwest roots as he’s initially from Wisconsin. He is also already skilled in taking on a program amidst turmoil. Dickert was employed as Washington State’s defensive coordinator in 2020. In 2021, then-head coach Nick Rolovich (and several other assistants) had been fired for failing to adjust to COVID-19 vaccination mandates. Dickert was made the interim head coach in October of 2021, named the everlasting head coach in November of that yr, and has been on the helm ever since.

Clawson (age 56) and Leipold (age 59) could also be older than what some followers are hoping for, however each have confirmed their capability to show struggling packages round. Clawson has had a profitable document at his final three head teaching stops: Richmond, Bowling Inexperienced and Wake Forest.

Leipold has turned across the packages at each of his latest stops. He went 37-33 within the six seasons at Buffalo. Previous to that, the Bulls had a mixed document of 27-45. In the meantime Leipold had led Kansas to back-to-back six-win seasons (and counting in 2023), and the final time the Jayhawks received six video games in a season earlier than that was in 2008 (eight wins). Earlier than Buffalo, Leipold had a ridiculous document of 109-6 at Division III Wisconsin-Whitewater.

What would these coaches be capable to do with Michigan State’s sources within the Large Ten?

Right here is fast recap of total data and 2023 data for the 4 coaches talked about:

– Lance Leipold: 160-58 total, 14-19 at Kansas and 6-2 in 2023 (coming off of a win versus Oklahoma)

– Dave Clawson: 153-138 total, 63-58 at Wake Forest and 4-5 in 2023 (coming off of a loss versus Duke)

– Jonathan Smith: 32-33 total (all at Oregon State), 6-2 in 2023 (coming off of a loss versus Arizona)

– Jake Dickert: 14-13 total (all at Washington State), 4-4 in 2023 (coming off of a loss versus Arizona State)

As for City Meyer, sources proceed to inform Spartans Illustrated that it is rather unlikely to occur. Now we have additionally now heard from sources very near Meyer’s camp that he’s not within the job. We won’t fully rule it out as of now, however the possibilities City Meyer turns into Michigan State’s subsequent head coach stay extremely low.

To reiterate, this doesn’t essentially imply that Michigan State is down to those 4 candidates or that one in all them will in the end be employed as MSU’s head coach. It’s all the time potential that different names can emerge later, however these candidates seem like close to the highest of Michigan State’s record as of now.

We’ll proceed to report on what this implies and what this appears to be like like transferring ahead. Clearly, rather a lot can nonetheless change, and now that the calendar has modified to November, exercise will possible proceed to extend.

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