That question keeps me up at night these days. The more I hear others sharing supposed details about how he and his wife were in town and how high level talks were happening and how the Board of Trustees was close to approving him, the more I ask myself, am I truly so confident in my sources that I'm willing to risk my reputation on this?
It's tough because we're about 10.5 months into this Spartans Illustrated thing and I'm very proud of the coverage we provide, the stories we tell, and the news that we break. But people have expectations when a coaching search is going on (and rightfully so). I believe that I am as well-positioned as anyone in the MSU community as far as sources go on this coaching search.
But what if I'm wrong on this Urban Meyer thing?
I feel like I'm swimming up stream on this one. At the exact same time, I also am very confident in my sources. I truly believe, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that no one with any authority at MSU talked to Urban Meyer about becoming the football coach of the Spartans. If you have proof otherwise - not speculation or insinuation - please reach out to me. You have a large barrier to overcome (my sources on this are as solid as they come) but I'll hear you out. And if I hear something credible that changes my mind, I'll let you all know ASAP. Until then, I speak confidently when I say that Urban Meyer has not been considered (and will not be MSU's coach).
I say this after having talked, once again, to sources that have confirmed to me that "we are very early on in this process."
"Let's let things play out."
"All indications so far are that Michigan State is an attractive job."
Sources have told me that Alan Haller is keeping this search as close to the vest as ever. He is not going to discuss the search. He's not going to respond to rumors. He has no motivation to say yes or no to any candidates that are floated out there.
If you aren't aware, MSU Athletics has engaged a search firm. It's not the same search firm that was used by Beekman for the Tucker search (DHR Global). It's TurnKeyZRG, which Haller has used before for his volleyball, women's basketball, and hockey hires. As I've reported before, athletic departments simply cannot run a coaching search of any significance these days without the help of a search firm doing the grunt work. There are simply too many people involved. You can't reach out to candidates any more. Search firms help with a lot of the information gathering.
As we move forward, please know that I, and everyone here at Spartans Illustrated, won't be sharing speculation with you (unless we very clearly label it speculation). We won't be passing along information unless we are very confident about it. If I'm wrong about something, I will clearly state that (in the same size font as the innacurate information was). Always remember that - most of the time - the correct reporting is boring.
For example, how many clicks will this headline get:
Nothing Really Has Changed Since The Last Time You Clicked Here
Not many.
It's tough because we're about 10.5 months into this Spartans Illustrated thing and I'm very proud of the coverage we provide, the stories we tell, and the news that we break. But people have expectations when a coaching search is going on (and rightfully so). I believe that I am as well-positioned as anyone in the MSU community as far as sources go on this coaching search.
But what if I'm wrong on this Urban Meyer thing?
I feel like I'm swimming up stream on this one. At the exact same time, I also am very confident in my sources. I truly believe, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that no one with any authority at MSU talked to Urban Meyer about becoming the football coach of the Spartans. If you have proof otherwise - not speculation or insinuation - please reach out to me. You have a large barrier to overcome (my sources on this are as solid as they come) but I'll hear you out. And if I hear something credible that changes my mind, I'll let you all know ASAP. Until then, I speak confidently when I say that Urban Meyer has not been considered (and will not be MSU's coach).
I say this after having talked, once again, to sources that have confirmed to me that "we are very early on in this process."
"Let's let things play out."
"All indications so far are that Michigan State is an attractive job."
Sources have told me that Alan Haller is keeping this search as close to the vest as ever. He is not going to discuss the search. He's not going to respond to rumors. He has no motivation to say yes or no to any candidates that are floated out there.
If you aren't aware, MSU Athletics has engaged a search firm. It's not the same search firm that was used by Beekman for the Tucker search (DHR Global). It's TurnKeyZRG, which Haller has used before for his volleyball, women's basketball, and hockey hires. As I've reported before, athletic departments simply cannot run a coaching search of any significance these days without the help of a search firm doing the grunt work. There are simply too many people involved. You can't reach out to candidates any more. Search firms help with a lot of the information gathering.
As we move forward, please know that I, and everyone here at Spartans Illustrated, won't be sharing speculation with you (unless we very clearly label it speculation). We won't be passing along information unless we are very confident about it. If I'm wrong about something, I will clearly state that (in the same size font as the innacurate information was). Always remember that - most of the time - the correct reporting is boring.
For example, how many clicks will this headline get:
Nothing Really Has Changed Since The Last Time You Clicked Here
Not many.
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