Mike Valenti is ready to embrace Mel Tucker.
And Mel Tucker is ... ready to embrace Mike Valenti?
The new Michigan State football coach gave Valenti quite the nod Friday in a hype video for the 2020 season.
The 50-second video begins with the news of Tucker's hiring in February. Then it cuts to an eight-second clip of Valenti reacting to the hire on 97.1 The Ticket:
"Mel Tucker is a ball of energy. Mel Tucker is an elite recruiter. Mel Tucker is going to represent a culture change in that football program."
(Watch the rest of Valenti's comments above.)
Then it transitions to Tucker addressing his new team.
"I believe in this place," he says. "Without this place, I don’t know where I’d be. We will have a culture here of accountability, attention to detail, sense of urgency, discipline, which is doing what you’re supposed to do, when you’re supposed to do it, how you’re supposed to do it.
"That’s going to be our culture, and it’s going to be like that day in and day out."
The Spartans kick off the season Saturday at noon against Rutgers. You can bet Valenti will be watching.