Mel Tucker is considered one of the worst coaches in the Big Ten, according to Tom Fornelli of CBS Sports.
Fornelli has put together a ranking list of the Big Ten coaches ahead of the 2021 season, and he doesn’t think too highly of Tucker. Fornelli lists Tucker as the No. 13 coach in the league, ahead of only Maryland’s Mike Locksley. He has Tucker at No. 57 overall of the 65 power five coaches he ranked as well.
For comparison, Tucker was ranked at No. 13 last year by Fornelli.
Here’s what Fornelli had to say about Tucker specifically:
I can’t speak for my fellow voters, but Mel Tucker’s 2-5 record in his first season at Michigan State doesn’t mean much to me. While every coach in the country was facing some impossible situations last year, what Tucker dealt with was incredibly difficult. He was hired in February, just a short time before COVID shut the world down, so he never had much of a chance to learn his new team and prepare for his first season. So, in that respect, managing to win twice — including a win over Michigan — was remarkable. Still, as far as I’m concerned when it comes to judging Tucker’s tenure in East Lansing, the 2021 season will be his first.
Click here to view the complete rankings on CBS Sports.
While I’m slightly biased, I personally am surprised to see a few of the guys ahead of Tucker on this list. Fornelli points out that he’s not holding last year’s results against Tucker but I would argue that beating two ranked teams (even if Michigan wasn’t deserving of their ranking) should earn some respect in these rankings. I’d have Tucker ahead of at least Purdue’s Jeff Brohm, Nebraska’s Scott Frost and Illinois’ Brett Bielema, and no lower than No. 10 on this list.
