EAST LANSING, Mich. — It's happened quicker than anyone expected, but Michigan State's days of watching other teams compete for championships appears to be ending.
Well, one guy surely expected the Spartans to be mixing it up with the Big Ten's best and playing in high level bowl games. That guy, of course, is second-year coach Mel Tucker.
Even after taking over at the onset of a global pandemic, Tucker never allowed the hurdles he and his staff had to navigate last season be an excuse for not being competitive. And after just two victories in 2020, Tucker quickly revamped the roster behind a host of transfers and a recruiting class that mostly committed without ever visiting campus.
The result this season was one few saw coming — 10 wins and a spot in a New Year's Six Bowl game.
"To go to a New Year's Six bowl and go 10-2 is big," Tucker said Monday as Michigan State formally accepted its bid to play in the Peach Bowl. "There's not a lot of teams that are playing ball, and when it winds down to these precious bowl games and to be a part of it, you know you've done something significant."
Significant would surely be a good way to describe things as No. 10 Michigan State prepares to play No. 12 Pittsburgh on Dec. 30 in Atlanta. It signifies Michigan State's return to a New Year's Six game for the first time since 2015 when it made its only appearance in the College Football Playoff, and the 10 wins are a level it hasn't reached since 2017.
But considering where the Spartans were just days before the season began makes it even more remarkable they are where they are. Back in late August, many believed Michigan State would struggle to become bowl eligible as a new-look roster took the field at Northwestern. But one play in, things seemed different. Kenneth Walker III raced 75 yards for a touchdown and the notion of the Spartans struggling seemed to fly out the window.
With a revamped roster full of new faces — both from the transfer portal and the high school ranks — Michigan State won its first eight games, shot up the national rankings and reminded the entire Big Ten — and all of college football for that matter — that it had no business being an afterthought in one of the toughest divisions in the country.
The loss at Purdue a week after beating Michigan was deflating and the one-sided loss at Ohio State was a punch to the gut, but bouncing back to beat Penn State showed some character and led Tucker to e named Big Ten Coach of the Year while nearly assuring a spot in a high-level bowl game.
"For a coach to come in during a COVID year and take a team that was (2-5) the first year to 10-2, and win the coach of the year and to do it with I think it was 20 transfers, it's amazing," Gary Stokan, Peach Bowl CEO and president, said. "What you have to do in a locker room to build a culture, to get that kind of success, shouldn't go unforeseen by a lot of people.
"I know he's got Big Ten Coach of the Year, but it's phenomenal to do what he's done, to have a team ranked in the top 10 and be 10-2."
Whether Tucker was aware or not, he likely has been since the season ended.
With he and his staff hitting the road to recruit ahead of the start of the early signing period on Wednesday, the feedback from recruits and high school coaches has been clear: What's happening at Michigan State has opened eyes around the country.
"It has a tremendous effect on our recruiting," Tucker said. "Being on the road the past couple of weeks, I've been all over the country and everyone's talking about Michigan State. High school coaches, the high school players, everyone involved in recruiting, they're taking note and really are excited about what we're doing. They know me, they know the history of Michigan State and they feel like this is a place where they can send players and they like what we're doing."
It's hard not to like what's happening in East Lansing. Tucker has proven he can turn things around quickly and with a new 10-year, $95 million contract, he's not leaving anytime soon.
Add in the fact Tucker and his staff will play whoever gives them the best chance to win, and Michigan State is an attractive option for both high school recruits and players out of the transfer portal, an avenue that has helped the quick rebound this season for the Spartans.
"They see what we've done with the portal guys," Tucker said. "It makes a lot of sense to them that they come to Michigan State; they're gonna get a fair shake. We play the best players. We don't show favoritism. It doesn't matter if you were recruited by previous staff or if you're recruited by us or you're a high school guy, a portal guy. We play the best guys and they know that we have plan, we have a process, we have a culture."
The culture, it appears, is a winning one, and Tucker and the Spartans believe this year's appearance in the Peach Bowl is just the start.
"The visibility of what we're doing, how we're going about doing it, is exciting," Tucker said. "People see the vision; they see the growth. They're really taking notice that this tide is turning and we're moving in the right direction."
