DotComp: Michigan State’s Probation - What it Means & What’s Next

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State allowed an ugly, symbolic punctuation mark to be placed at the end of an unsavory chapter in its football history when it agreed to a negotiated resolution with the NCAA and the Division I Committee of Infractions to slap Spartan football with probation and penalties due to rules violations committed by the former coaching staff. By now, you’re aware of Michigan State’s penalties, stemming from recruiting violations committed during Mel Tucker’s coaching tenure, from 2022 to 2023. Tucker’s general manager at the time, Saeed Khalif, and pass rush coach, Brandon Jordan, were found to have paid for recruits to take unofficial visits to Michigan State - impermissible benefits to six recruits, totaling $10,764 in travel expenses, including hotel lodging and airfare.  There were also impermissible payments for parents of recruits to accompany their players to Michigan State for initial enrollment, and then fly back home.  Khalif and Jordan refused to participate in interviews with the NCAA. Tucker and his legal team answered questions as part of a written record hearing.  Tucker didn’t meet with the NCAA face-to-face. He hasn’t met with anyone, publicly, that we know of, since the postgame press conference following the Richmond game in 2023, a day before he was suspended, and eventually fired, due to allegations of sexual harassment.  Michigan State brought more four star recruits to the East Lansing campus during the spring and summer of 2022 than any time in the history of four star recruits. Tucker pushed his staff to be aggressive in recruiting their own position groups, and - according to the NCAA findings - was hands-off, and eyes-off in terms of how they went about their business. The transgressions of Jordan and Khalif, who was put in charge of overseeing Michigan State’s recruiting in June of 2021, tripped some alarms.  “Tripped some alarms” and Michigan State “allowed” this punctuation mark to be placed at the end of the Tucker era? More on those items in a moment. But first, the penalties. They aren’t stiff. So stop whining. (MORE inside SpartanMag. Join SpartanMag now - $1 for the first week - and enjoy a complimentary year of The Athletic included with your membership.)