Michigan State football: 2 names have emerged as “strong candidates”

According to a new report on Friday, two names have emerged as “strong candidates” for next Michigan State football coach.

As the Michigan State football coaching search continues to evolve, new names seem to be emerging from reputable sources on a daily basis.

On Friday, Bruce Feldman, one of the most connected guys in college football, revealed that two more names have emerged as “strong candidates” in the early stages of Michigan State’s coaching search.

Kansas' Lance Leipold and WAZZU's Jake Dickert have emerged as strong candidates in the early stages of the Michigan State coaching search, a source told The Athletic: https://t.co/EIWWsPmT11

— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) September 29, 2023

The two names aren’t all that shocking given the fact that Jake Dickert has been a newcomer on many fans’ shortlists and the same goes for Lance Leipold. It’s hard to say anything bad about either coach as they’ve exceeded expectations at their current programs.

Let’s start with Dickert. He took over as an interim head coach at Washington State in 2021 when Nick Rolovich was fired and guided the Cougars to a 3-3 record in the final six games to finish the year. It was a tough situation to deal with and he didn’t fold. In 2022, he led Washington State to a bowl game with a 7-5 overall record. And in 2023, he’s gotten the Cougars off to a 4-0 start thanks to his Heisman-caliber quarterback, Cameron Ward. He has proven he knows what it takes to win in the Power Five and he’s contending in a very top-heavy conference.

As for Leipold, he’s winning at Kansas. Yes, you read that correctly, he is winning games at one of the toughest football programs to do so. Before he got there, Kansas was widely considered one of the worst programs in the Power Five. Now, the Jayhawks are legit Big 12 contenders. Before Kansas, he turned Buffalo around in the MAC and before that, he won six Division III national titles in eight years at Wisconsin-Whitewater. Leipold’s first season at Kansas ended with a 2-10 record and he brought the Jayhawks to a bowl game the next season. Now, the Jayhawks are 4-0 and legit contenders in the Big 12.

Both of these names are intriguing for Michigan State football fans and they blow the names on that Brett McMurphy report out of the water.

Let’s hope this report is more accurate.