Michigan State football coach Mel Tucker says the Spartans made him an offer that was simply too good to pass up on.
Tucker infamously tweeted that he wasn’t leaving Colorado, and then dipped to East Lansing only a couple days later. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)
While I am flattered to be considered for the HC job @MSU_football, I am committed to @CUBuffsFootball for #TheBuild of our program, its great athletes, coaches & supporters. #UnfinishedBusiness #GoBuffs
We are #Relentless #Culture #TheBuild
— Mel Tucker (@Coach_mtucker) February 8, 2020
Now, we have a little insight as to watch changed. It’s pretty simple. The $5.5 million-a-year salary was “impossible” for Tucker to turn down, according to a statement reported by The Athletic.
You can read his full comments in the tweet from Bruce Feldman below.
Mel Tucker to @TheAthleticCFB on how things unfolded in the #MichiganState search process: https://t.co/geZmW8RgEX pic.twitter.com/4wp0cNOXzi
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) February 16, 2020
You can rip Tucker all you want for leaving for MSU after saying he was staying with Colorado, but the Spartans doubled up his deal.
When you have the opportunity to make that kind of cash, you’d have to be an idiot to pass on it. That’s the nature of the business.
You have to make as much money as you can while you can.
Michigan State is paying Mel Tucker $5.5 million per season as part of his six-year contract. Tucker was one season into a five-year, $14.75 million contract at Colorado.
— Larry Lage (@LarryLage) February 13, 2020
Now, the question will be whether or not Tucker can justify his absurd salary. He went 5-7 last season at Colorado, and Michigan State made him one of the highest paid coaches in the sport.
View this post on Instagram
We’ll see what he can do, but there’s no question Tucker has his work cut out for him in the Big Ten East. That division is simply unforgiving.