Does MSU football have a potential plan?

This is a question many Spartan fans have and have had since the departure of Dantonio. This current season has been a cesspool of utter garbage with very minute sparks of optimism and joy. Sailing through the tides of the collegiate landscape without any sense of direction has become the acceptable norm. The program is at one of its lowest points in its history with lingering questions of if Smith will still be coaching, will players like Marsh still be here, will we have any NIL to spend, and will players even want to come here. Are we ever going to be rid of the Tucker curse? These are the questions that keep Spartan football fans awake and we often wonder if anyone else at MSU has the same questions and concerns. We are more seasick than the Pilgrims on the Mayflower. Will we ever again be able to catch the headwind and sail straight?

Being that today is Thanksgiving, I felt Spartan Nation was in need of something to be thankful for (besides Tom Izzo, Adam Nightingale and Jeff Hosler). This past weekend, I found myself in a conversation with an individual we will call “GA”. The conversation started off casually as he found out I was a Spartan alumnus, and we began to talk about the current season and the disastrous end to the Iowa game. He then proceeds to tell me “The plan.” I did mention to him that I was press and would be using this information and he just asked to stay anonymous. I’m going to share what was shared with me and we can hope that his insider knowledge is accurate.

Part 1: The Ruling

I asked GA his thoughts on the NCAA ruling and how he felt this was going to trickle down to the programs ability to compete not only on the field but in recruitment and NIL. He then tells me that he has this information from inside the University and NIL Collective. He verified what many of us have speculated in regard to the fines. This was a self-imposed reporting to the NCAA and basically a sort of handshake agreement to come down with the eligibility infraction and fines to clear MSU of the Tucker liability. Like we all thought, it was a move to spend 30k and save 75 mil. This will also create a 5-year ban from the NCAA on those that were part of Tucker’s team or otherwise involved. It was also mentioned that the probationary aspect is primarily for show. He said, just don’t commit any level 1 infractions in the next few years and it is no big deal. Whether there is fact to that, I can’t say, but it is what was shared. He mentioned the vacating of games won was not remotely a big deal as they were already losing seasons and nobody cared about giving those up.

So, the ruling, and the fallout of it was apparently self imposed and that there seems to be no concern for it hurting the program anymore than the Detroit and ESPN media bias against MSU. He said they are used to that, expected that, and are unfazed by it.

Part 2: The Coach

After hearing this news I asked GA if he knew anything about Smith and if there was a plan in place. He said Smith will be gone and that they have already come to a mutual agreement after the season. He said this agreement is partially based on Smith’s family being very unhappy in East Lansing and his extreme interest in the UCLA position. He said by waiting, as we know, the university is again saving money and will basically be giving a 6 million dollar buyout to Smith to cordially walk away. I don’t know if it will be publicized like this, but it seems like it might if he does intend to pursue the UCLA position. What is unknown is whether UCLA is interested in pursuing on their end. The exact date for this was not mentioned and I know most of Spartan Nation hopes this information is also true. It would explain the nonchalant, noncommittal reactions from Batt and Smith. What GA was unable or unwilling to share was who the coach is that they are targeting. He did imply that someone has likely been secretly vetted and targeted and this is another reason Batt has been relatively quiet on this tumultuous coaching front this year.

Part 3: NIL

NIL is another area that all of us as Spartan fans have voiced concern and confusion. It seems as if we have the potential to have a decent Gringotts sized vault but we don’t spend as if we do and when we do spend it is usually foolish coaching contracts. I asked GA if he knew what our NIL looked like and if the NCAA inflations would do any damage to getting money in and the ability to spend it. He said that Batt has done an amazing job with donors and there is already three times more in the vault than his predecessor was ever able to accumulate. He said that there is money to be spent. He also mentioned, when I asked about Marsh, that he is a priority and while MSU would like to keep some players, the ones they mainly want to hold onto are Marsh and, he laughed, Eckley. Everyone else is expendable. Obviously, that is a very broad statement and I don’t foresee MSU doing a full clean house, but it does seem they are aware of areas of inadequacies and aware of the better talent on the roster.

Part 4: Conclusion

I was shocked at the openness of the conversation and GA’s willingness to almost vomit information. His knowledge was gained from conversations he had been present for as well as his connections to higher ups in the NIL Collective. I hope that the information that was divulged has accuracy and much of this, if true, will be transparent soon. I will say that he was optimistic and confident in the directional change the football program seems to want to make. I am grateful to GA for sharing what he shared. However, wanting to make the changes is one thing, but executing them and then following that up with smart and educated additions to staff and rosters is another. As a lifelong Chicago Bears fan, I am very schooled on the mismanagement of decision making with coaches, draft picks, free agents and constant rebuilds. It seems the Bears finally have the stabilizers working on the ship and are able to begin voyaging in the right direction (sorry Lions fans for the Bears reference). Can MSU do the same? In the very least, I have this Thanksgiving to be thankful for the fact that they may have a map and a telescope – two tools that are essential for voyaging in the current landscape of college athletics.