'Ryan Day money?' How bout Nick Saban money for Mel Tucker?
A week after 97.1 The Ticket's Rico Beard reported that Michigan State's football coach would be signing a long-term extension worth about $7 million per year, it was reported Wednesday by the Free Press that Tucker is in fact getting a 10-year, $95 million extension.
That would make him the highest-paid coach in the Big Ten and the second-highest paid coach in the country behind Saban, one of Tucker's mentors during his tenure as an assistant at Alabama. Saban is making $9.75 million this season, according to USA Today.
In fact, a $9.5 million salary would make Tucker one of the highest-paid coaches in American sports, period.
Per the Free Press, only three NFL coaches are making more this season than what Tucker will be paid under his new deal: Bill Belichick ($12.5 million), Pete Carroll ($11 million) and Sean Payton ($9.8 million). Tucker is making about $5 million under his current deal.
Tucker, 49, arrived in East Lansing in 2019 after one season as head coach at Colorado to take over a sputtering program from Mark Dantonio. Two years later, he has the Spartans back in the national conversation. Michigan State is 9-1 and No. 6 in the College Football Playoff rankings entering a clash with No. 4 Ohio State Saturday in Columbus.
The Spartans also boast one of the leading Heisman candidates in running back Kenneth Walker, a Wake Forest transfer brought on board by Tucker last winter. Tucker's ability to mine the transfer portal for talent is a big reason Michigan State has vaulted back into the spotlight on the heels of a 2-5 season.
And his quick rise in East Lansing is a big reason he was reportedly being targeted by LSU to replace head coach Ed Orgeron, who's being let go after this season. That raised fears at Michigan State that Tucker would follow the same dollar signs as Saban in 1999. This time, Michigan State showed its coach the money.