These are the coaches that Michigan State needs to look at first

These coaches are unlikely to leave their current jobs but Michigan State should look into if they are interested in becoming the next Spartans football coach.

Coaching career summary

He served as an assistant coach at Colorado State, Utah, and Idaho before being hired as the defensive coordinator at Utah in 1995. He is the current head coach at the University of Utah, a position he has held since 2005. Whittingham is the all-time leader in wins at Utah.

Whittingham was promoted to head coach at Utah in 2005 after Urban Meyer left for the University of Florida. In his first season as head coach, Whittingham led the Utes to a 10-2 record and a victory in the Armed Forces Bowl.

Whittingham has led Utah to bowl games in 17 of his 18 seasons as head coach. He has also won three Pac-12 Coach of the Year awards.

Whittingham is known for his tough-nosed coaching style and his focus on defense. He has built Utah into one of the most consistent winners in the Pac-12 Conference.

In addition to his success on the field, Whittingham is also a well-respected member of the coaching community. He is known for his integrity and his commitment to his players and staff.

Whittingham is a successful college football coach with a reputation for excellence. He has built Utah into one of the top programs in the Pac-12 Conference.

Would MSU fans want Whittingham? The part of the fanbase that loves Mark Dantonio and wants to bring back that tough, nonsense defense would absolutely love this hire. The rest of the fanbase that wants an offensive-minded coach would still be happy and satisfied with this hire due to his experience and proven track record.

Releastic odds of landing Whittingham? Low, due to the fact that he appears to love being the coach at Utah and has been there for a good amount of time. His contract is through the year 2027, it also increases up to $8 million to the end of the original contract. His contract pay includes money not only from Utah itself ($6.5 million) but also from both Under Armour and Learfield as well ($1.5 million).

Michigan State administration would appear to love the hiring of Whittingham because he checks all the boxes and he would have virtually no one in the MSU community oppose it but it would have to possibly be a $9.5 million per year contract and it would take a ton of convincing to have him leave Utah.

Coaching career summary

At college level, Dykes started his college football coaching career by serving as an assistant coach at Kentucky, Arizona, and Texas Tech. In 2010, he was hired as the head coach at Louisiana Tech.

Dykes led the Bulldogs to a 9-3 record in his third season, their best record in 15 years. He then left Louisiana Tech to become the head coach at California in 2013.

Dykes’ tenure at California was not considered successful in comparison to his time as the head coach at Louisiana Tech. He finished with a below .500 record in four seasons before being relieved of his head coaching duties in 2016.

In 2017, Dykes was hired as the head coach at SMU. He quickly turned the program around, leading the Mustangs to three winning seasons in four years. In 2019, SMU finished with a 10-3 record, their best record since 1989.

Following his success at SMU, Dykes was hired as the head coach at TCU in 2022. In his first season, he led the Horned Frogs to a 12-1 record and the program’s first-ever College Football Playoff appearance.

Would MSU fans want Dykes? The simple answer is yes and there are reasons why the MSU fanbase as a whole would want Dykes as their next coach. He has been a head coach at the FBS level at four different schools and his experience would be greatly appreciated. He knows how to win the big games as proven when he and his TCU team defeated a more talented team in Michigan in the College Football Playoffs.

He also knows how to develop quarterbacks as proven by his starting of Jared Goff as a true freshman at Cal which helped Goff become the first pick in the NFL draft and is now the starting quarterback for the Detroit Lions.

Releastic odds of landing Dykes? The odds are better than Whittingham but they are not great either. Dykes seems to love being the coach of the Horned Frogs and he may not want to take on his fifth head coaching job as he has been a head coach out west and in the south during his four head coaching tenures. He also signed a contract extension through the year 2028 but Michigan State can offer him more than what he is receiving annually from TCU.