Mark Dantonio returns as Michigan State associate head coach, will be ‘tremendous asset’
East Lansing, Mich. – No one was surprised when Michigan State athletic director Alan Haller suspended Mel Tucker on Sunday.
When it came time to hire an interim head coach, there were whispers early on Sunday that offensive line coach and assistant head coach Chris Kapilovic would be appointed to that post.
There were some who felt that wide receivers coach Courtney Hawkins – with his hard-arse, old school demeanor, and his unflappable principles as a former head coach and athletic director at Flint Beecher High School – would be a productive choice, and popular with the roster.
In the end, Haller chose Harlon Barnett, whose previous title was associate head coach and defensive backs coach.
That choice shouldn’t have surprised anyone either.
But the surprise move of the day was bringing back former Michigan State head football coach Mark Dantonio as an associate head coach, assisting Barnett.
Dantonio is one of the most successful coaches in Michigan State history. He went 114-57 in 13 seasons as Michigan State’s head coach from 2007 to 2019. He retired abruptly in February of 2019, leading to eventual hiring of Tucker.
The public learned of Tucker’s sexual harassment allegations on Sunday. There is a strong possibility that Tucker has coached his last game at Michigan State. Haller has been preparing for that possibility for weeks.
Somewhere along the line, Haller got the idea to bring back Dantonio as a special assistant, if a coaching shake-up took place at mid-season.
If Dantonio was going to come back, it was going to have to be as Barnett’s assistant. Mixing Dantonio as a special assistant wouldn’t have meshed as well with Kapilovic or Hawkins, two men that Dantonio has never worked with. Dantonio will have no problem getting up to speed with Kapilovic and Hawkins. But he will mix instantly with his old pal and comrade, Barnett.
On an otherwise stern day, Haller was somewhat enthusiastic about tabbing Barnett and Dantonio as men to lead Michigan State football for the remainder of the 2023 season.
Usually when a coaching change takes place in September, it’s because a floundering program has gotten off to a terrible start, and there’s not much left to salvage for the remainder of the season.
That’s not the case with Michigan State right now. The Spartans are 2-0 and have No. 8 Washington coming to town on Saturday.
Michigan State has sneaky good talent, but wasn’t predicted to finish in the top half of the Big Ten East. Now with this coaching change, even less will be expected of the Spartans outside of East Lansing.
But within the Skandalaris Football Center, they’re going to try to surprise people. Barnett and Dantonio weren’t available for interviews on Sunday, but Haller was quick to boast their virtues.
“A former Spartan student-athlete with 21 years of coaching experience, including 15 on the Spartan sideline, Coach Barnett has an incredible connection to our university and takes incredible pride in being a Spartan,” Haller said on Sunday. “He has established relationships with student-athletes and is focused on their well-being, first and foremost.
“Coach Dantonio, not only is an exceptional football coach, he will be an exceptional resource for Harlon. Both men have a deep love and care for Michigan State football, Spartan athletics, the university and the East Lansing community.”
Haller was asked when he came up with the idea to bring Dantonio back to the coaching staff. Haller wouldn’t give specifics, but it wasn’t something he dreampt up on a whim. This has been on his mind, just in case.
“I’m always processing information, processing situations,” Haller said. “I can’t tell you that I thought of this today, yesterday or even a couple days ago. I’m always thinking. These are contingency things that I think about with all of our programs and a lot of different situations. It’s been an ongoing situation for me.
“I called Coach Dantonio this morning and his response was, ‘Alan, whatever you need. I’m here to help.’
“He was excited to be back. Coach D will probably be back at some point tomorrow (Monday). If not tomorrow, definitely on Tuesday.
“We’re still trying to figure out his role, but he definitely will wear a headset either on the sidelines or up in the booth, and he’ll offer his knowledge of his coaching career. I think he’ll be a tremendous asset for our student-athletes and our staff. The student-athletes were fired up when I mentioned that to them.”
COMP’S TAKE
The timing is good for Dantonio to come back and try to help stabilize the program. He’s been around Spartan football more this year than in any of the previous years since his retirement. He’s spoken to the team at least once this season. He’s been at a practice. He attended Spartan Dawg Con, the annual convention for former players founded by Tucker, for the first time, this summer.
The players are well aware of who he is. Some were recruited by Dantonio, including quarterback Noah Kim, wide receiver Tre Mosley, linebacker Cal Haladay, defensive tackle Simeon Barrow, offensive guard J.D. Duplain and center Nick Samac. Those happen to be six of the key leaders on the team. Jordon Simmons, Brandon Wright, Spencer Brown, Dallas Fincher, Montorie Foster, Evan Morris, Maverick Hansen and Avery Dunn also signed with Dantonio – Morris as a walk-on.
That’s a big chunk of the playing group. Dantonio will reconnect with them in the personable, constructive, motivational, optimistic way that made him an effective head coach for 13 years.
Barnett is a warm personality, quick with a smile and a deep reservoir of knowledge and credibility. Does he have the hard edge needed to lead a 100-man football army? That will need to come out over the next 10 games.
Dantonio had a hard edge to his coaching persona during his prime years. Can he tap into that again? Will it resonate with a roster of players that he hasn’t reared for the past two or three years?
Dantonio is a smart man. He won’t expect to come in and command everyone’s trust right away. He will work to methodically gain that trust, while capitalizing on the base he has with the players mentioned above.
Dantonio won’t try to take over the room. But Barnett will lean on him for direction, and for the right words at the right time.
Haller said they are still working out what Dantonio’s role will be. Don’t expect Dantonio to overhaul any of Michigan State’s base schemes. He is more likely to add insight to quality control at the micro level.
Will he do it from the sidelines or the press box? He hasn’t been in the box at gametime since he was defensive coordinator for Jim Tressel at Ohio State.
With defensive coordinator Scottie Hazelton preferring to work from the sideline, Michigan State might need an extra set of defensive eyes upstairs, now that Barnett is headed downstairs. Dantonio could provide that.
But there would be something comforting, maybe symbolic, maybe tangible, about Dantonio being on the sidelines again. Fans would feel it. Would the players feel it? Could they benefit from it? If Barnett thinks so, it will happen.
These two guys aren’t doing this to play out the string and country club it. They’re going to tackle this with the rest of the staff to do what the entire team set out to do in the off-season, and that’s surprise everybody with a string of wins, some type of way.
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