Silence can't always be the answer from Mark Dantonio's program. Status quo can't always be the solution.
Michigan State's football season ended a month ago with another 7-6 record and another round of speculation. Maybe Dantonio doesn't have a plan yet for the future, or has an incomplete plan, or has a plan that will be criticized and he's reticent to talk about it. Whatever the case, it's troubling and disrespectful to fans, alums and the program not to address it.
Half of his assistants have contracts soon to expire. On the Feb. 5 National Signing Day, Michigan State will unveil a recruiting class ranked around 35th in the country and ninth in the Big Ten. After his in-house staff shuffle last Jan. 10, the Spartans' offense was nearly as bad this past season. Every time Dantonio was asked about more changes, he said he'd discuss it in the offseason, and yet so far, nothing.
When you wonder what the oft-used phrase "leadership void" means, this is what it means. When a program is drifting, still not recovered from the fallout of a scandal, someone has to stand up and say it will be fixed, do something to inspire confidence. Or say it's time to step aside and let someone else fix it.
There's no tangible evidence Dantonio will retire after 13 seasons that produced the finest era of Michigan State football. He has said he plans to stay, and for his unprecedented stretch of success, he has that right. He's the winningest coach in program history, he's only 63 and he has the support of the athletic director, Bill Beekman, and school president Samuel Stanley, who said Dantonio is "the right person to continue."
If he's staying to rebuild what he built and has a plan to upgrade his staff, why won't he detail it? Even if he's not changing much _ against the angry objection of many Spartan fans _ he has to lay out the reasons. He should do more than hand out "Program Win" hats after a 19-16 victory over Maryland.
