Despite Mel Tucker's struggles at Michigan State, he isn't going anywhere

An early storyline this season has centered around Texas A&M and Jimbo Fisher after the Aggies, ranked No. 6 in the Associated Press's preseason poll, dropped a home game against Appalachian State and has generally looked like a mess on the offensive side of the football. But the Aggies aren't the only program that's hamstrung by an underperforming head coach with a long and expensive contract. Following another lopsided defeat, Michigan State (2-4, 0-3) may have dug itself an even deeper hole with less hope of formulating an escape plan.

During a resurgent 2021 season, and with fears that a team such as LSU would swoop in and offer a bigger salary for their coach’s services, Michigan State ponied up a 10-year, fully guaranteed $95 million extension for second-year head coach Mel Tucker that made him the second highest-paid coach in college football at the time of signing, behind only Alabama head coach Nick Saban. But after a fourth consecutive double-digit defeat, the latest a 49-20 thrashing from No. 3 Ohio State in which the Buckeyes outgained the Spartans 614-202, Michigan State may be having buyer's remorse.

With the loss to the Buckeyes, Tucker's record at Michigan State dropped to 15-11 overall and 9-10 in conference play. The team won the 2021 Peach Bowl but failed to qualify for a bowl game in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. With their most recent efforts in 2022, it appears as though the Spartans won't qualify for a bowl game in two of Tucker's first three years as head coach.

Despite the struggles, Tucker's contract all but guarantees he'll remain in charge for the foreseeable future. Whereas a school like Texas A&M has the number-one recruiting class of 2022 to give them some optimism — and boosters ready to buy their beleaguered coach out of his contract at a moment's notice — Michigan State's recruiting classes the past two seasons have landed in the twenties, trailing Big Ten competitors Ohio State, Penn State, and Michigan, per Rivals. And sadly, one of the biggest donors to the school's athletic department, Peter Secchia, passed away at the age of 83 in October 2020. Two other prominent Michigan State boosters, Mat Ishbia and Steve St. Andre, were responsible for Tucker's hefty payday in November 2021, per the Detroit Free Press. While money isn't an issue for either Isbhia or St. Andre, it would be a shock to see two of Tucker's biggest supporters turn their back on him so quickly into his deal.

Before this four-game losing streak, it had been twenty years since the Spartans had lost four consecutive games by double digits. During the 2002 season, the Spartans — under head coach Bobby Williams — lost their fourth consecutive game by 10 or more points when they played in-state rival Michigan, losing 49-3. Williams was fired two days later.

Michigan State made an impulsive decision when hurrying to extend Tucker to that $95 million contract. Unfortunately, the school might serve as nothing more than a cautionary tale for the rest of college football in the years to come. And with so many coaches landing big paydays over the last couple of seasons, it will be interesting to see how Tucker's and Fisher's struggles influence the market going forward.

Presently, the season isn't going the way the Spartans envisioned it would. And thanks to the decision made following last year's 56-7 loss to Ohio State, Michigan State's disastrous 2022 might just be a glimpse into their future.