Michigan State football commits react to Mel Tucker suspension
Thirteen Michigan State football commits were left in shock Sunday at the announcement head coach Mel Tucker would be suspended allegations of sexual harassment. Tucker will be suspended without pay ahead of an October Title IX hearing.
Michigan State announced that current secondary coach Harlon Barnett will be taking over as interim head coach. Former Spartan head football coach Mark Dantonio will serve as an associate head coach.
SpartanMag.com reached out to all thirteen commitments in the current 2024 class to get their reactions to the news, as most continue to take a wait-and-see approach to their recruitments.
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Dayton (Ohio) Centerville four-star safety commitment Reggie Powers, who is having a fantastic senior season, is still locked into his Michigan State commitment.
Powers was excited to learn his primary recruiter Harlon Barnett, was named interim head coach. He and his family will visit Michigan State once again this upcoming weekend.
“Reggie and our family will still be coming to the game on Saturday,” Reggie’s father Reggie Powers Jr. said. “I believe Coach Barnett called Reg yesterday. I texted him yesterday to let him know we were still coming and that I appreciate him.
“We are super comfortable with Coach Barnett. It is even better that he is Reg’s position coach and main contact. I think he will do a great job because he has the respect of the team. He cares about the program deeply and will be able to hold things down.”
Although the family will continue to keep their eyes on the developments in East Lansing, they are comfortable with sticking to their commitment through a season of uncertainty.
“Reg is in a good spot with Michigan State,” Powers Jr. said. “Of course, you have to see how it ends up because if the whole staff leaves, that is a problem. I talked with him a little yesterday about how he feels, and he is good. No talk at all about looking elsewhere.”
Powers is ranked a four-star prospect, the No. 33 safety and the No. 12 recruit in Ohio, according to the 2024 On3 Rankings. He originally committed to Michigan State over Pittsburgh, Ohio State, Cincinnati, and others.
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Four-star wide receiver Nick Marsh, the highest rated recruit in the Spartans’ 2024 recruiting class, told SpartanMag.com that he and his support system will continue to monitor the situation in East Lansing. Marsh, of Detroit (Mich.) River Rouge, re-committed to the Michigan State in July 2023. The four-star originally de-committing and spent the summer taking official visits to Penn State, Pittsburgh, and Kansas. He will be back in East Lansing this weekend for the upcoming matchup against Washington.
“(I am) just waiting it out to see the news,” Marsh told SpartanMag.com. “I am just going over it with mom and my coaches and just waiting it out. Just waiting for the final results so we can get past this mess.”
Marsh tells SpartanMag.com he has never interacted with Mark Dantonio, but heard from wide receiver coach Courtney Hawkins when news broke.
“He was just checking up on (me) and telling me about the situation. He told me that hopefully it clears up soon,” Marsh said.
The four-star wideout is ranked the No. 126 overall recruit in his class. He is also ranked the No. 23 wide receiver, and the No. 3 recruit in Michigan, according to the 2024 On3 Industry Rankings.
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Michigan State four-star running back commitment Anthony Carrie says he has spoken with running backs coach Effrem Reed since the news broke.
Four-star offensive lineman Andrew Dennis also tells SpartanMag.com that he spoke with offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic, along with recruiting assistant Malik Gill.
Three-star defensive backs Justin Denson and Camren Campbell both say they spoke with Harlon Barnett as well.
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