I met with someone close to the selection process at about 2:30 a.m. early Wednesday morning, three hours after news broke that Michigan State had agreed in principle to hiring Mel Tucker as the school's 25th football coach. In discussing some aspects of the courtship of MSU's soon-to-be head football coach, the closing hours of MSU's pursuit of Tucker very much mirrored the wave of rumors and tips that SpartanMag.com fielded and vetted on Tuesday.
Tips began flying in through SpartanMag.com sources at about 1 p.m. on Tuesday that Michigan State was back at the plate, with a good chance to land a new head coach by the end of the day. Shortly thereafter, after receiving more tips from credible sources, I posted Coach Update VI.
Good sources continued to tell us to varying degrees that things were cooking for Michigan State. Ocasionally, a source would name Tucker as the target. Most sources weren't giving up any names, or weren't told any names, but confirmed that something big was happening. Some people knew, but weren't telling. There was some tenseness to it that was different than the Fickell chase. I think people learned from the Fickell situation. I chose not to relay Tucker's name in the thread, initially. But, from the beginning, he was the guy I thought was most likely to be the man, if Michigan State were to wrap this up at mid-week, or possibly Shurmur.
I did a guest spot on the Mad Dog radio show in Lansing at about 4:45 p.m., while fielding tips on my phone, and officiating over the Coach Update VI thread. Mad Dog DeMarco asked me, one after the other, on the air, about potential candidates. I told him I didn't think Brian Hartline or fluff candidate du jour Jim Leonhard were qualified candidates at this time. I did tell him that I wouldn't be surprised if Michigan State circled back and made a run at Tucker, and I told him I believed Michigan State would in fact reach out to Shurmur again. I didn't know it at the time, but both had already happened. I was on the air and fielding tips simultaneously. That was a new one for me.
Then everything went quiet between 5:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
Meanwhile, rumors spread that Michigan State was interested in Pat Shurmur, to the point that the Denver Broncos had to release statements from Shurmur that he wasn't leaving for Michigan State.
Tips from other avenues within the sports industry, a source of information that I've found reliable over the years, were leaking out info that linked Michigan State with Shurmur, Tucker, Harlon Barnett and even Penn State defensive coordinator Brent Pry. Heads were spinning.
That's when I started to wonder if we were all being catfished, or smokescreened. The Shurmur rumors were especially effective.
I have since been told by sources within that sector of the sports industry that misdirections were in fact put in place, to divert attention from the Tucker chase. I have a hunch that those diversions were set in motion by search firm executive Glenn Sugiyama, but I can't prove it, and it's probably not important. He might just give a proud poker face smile if I asked him if this were true.
If word of MSU's interest in Tucker had gotten out earlier in the day, it might have damaged MSU's chances.
Around 6:30 p.m., I posted that if Michigan State were to hire someone so soon after the Fickell disappointment, it would likely be someone that had already interviewed, someone who had already been vetted.
Privately, in speaking with Paul Konyndyk, Big Moobie Ron Armstrong, Matt Dorsey, and others, we believed that if Michigan State were to hire someone at mid-week, it would have to be someone whom the Board of Trustees would endorse quickly. Tucker and Barnett fit that category, and possibly Shurmur. Anyone else would likely require more deliberation and wouldn't enable the process to end that fast. I spoke with a source earlier in the day that led me to believe strongly that Robert Saleh wasn't interested, wasn't in the conversation.
I posted that I believed that it would be a smart move for Michigan State to circle back and go after Tucker, while I also predicted that at least a portion of the search committee would reach out once again to Shurmur (something had taken place, but not yet to my knowledge). I had believed this would be a smart, likely move all day, but I didn't post it until about 5 p.m. I posted Tucker's name ALONG with Shurmur's name, to spread out the lightning rod a little bit. (Actually, this post was an accident. I wrote the post, and delayed pressing the "post" button for more than 30 minutes, trying to decide whether it was a good idea or not, trying to decide whether the Bunker could handle the info, and whether it might set off flashing lights all around the internet about Michigan State and Tucker, something that at that point I believed could throw tacks in MSU's tires in the Tucker chase. The message window remained open on my screen for more than 30 minutes. I accidentally posted it while thinking I was responded to a different post. Then it was out there, there was no taking it back, and we had to talk about it a little bit. I stressed that Michigan State circling back for Shurmur and/or Tucker was only my line of thinking, with no sources backing it up at that point.)
At that point, I didn't know for sure that Michigan State was pursuing Tucker. I had received information from sources telling me that Michigan State had reached a deal with Tucker, Tucker was going to be the man - information that turned out to be premature. At that point, I didn't fully believe the sources, but there's no question there was a big Tucker plume of smoke out there. I was still wondering about the evidence of a catfish diversion.
Also, the one thing that never added up for me, was the interview that Tucker did with a Denver radio station earlier on Tuesday. If he was heading to Michigan State, why would he do that interview? I kept asking myself that, and asking sources that, throughout the day. I talked about it with Paul, Moobie, and others. We tried to find out if the radio interview had been pre-recorded. The radio interview made me think that even Tucker might be part of the catfish scheme, but that would seem cruel and dangerous to put a coach in that position, a coach who couldn't afford to be dragged into Michigan State rumors AGAIN. So I didn't know what to think, but the tips from earlier in the day about Tucker to Michigan State still lingered.
A source later told me that Tucker didn't agree to sit down and hash things out with Michigan State until after that radio interview. So Tucker, in his heart and mind, was truly still the Colorado coach when he did that interview. But Michigan State was still knocking on his door, and he knew it.
**
Getting back to the person I met with at 2:30 a.m., he said things were looking good for Michigan State and Tucker around 2 p.m. on Tuesday - right around the time that those positive rumors started to fly.
Then, he said, things suddenly didn't look as promising around 6 p.m., for reasons he didn't disclose - and that was right around the time the rumors and tips came to a screeching halt from my sources. And with it, our Coach Update VI thread dried up. I shut it down at about 7 p.m.
That's also about the time that I started to wonder again if the whole thing was a giant catfish diversion, including some of the Tucker info. And we began floating that theory on the Underground Bunker message board, at a different thread.
I thought it was relatively harmless for a smokescreener to manufactor job hunt hype about Shurmur. Shurmur doesn't have a locker room full of former recruits and parents to level with and answer to. And it's safe to use Barnett as a smokescreen. Job rumors involving him aren't going to affect his current source of income. And Pry at Penn State is happy for any publicity he can get. On Monday, he called an ESPN writer to squelch rumors of his interest in Michigan State - rumors that didn't even exist. But he apparently wanted some rumors. (And Pry was in fact on Sugiyama's initial list of Michigan State candidates. Sources tell me Pry was reached to gauge his interest. Remember the original flight plans of the Michigan State plane that flew to Colorado, Northern California and Cincinnati? Remember the flight plans that were slated to go from Cincinnati to State College, Pa.? Well, that flight plan did in fact reflect original plans to speak with Pry. But those plans were canceled. Later, sources told me the State College flight plan was a diversion in itself, and I reported it that way here. But in actuality, it was a legitimate plan at first. One theory is that Sugiyama held it as a diversion as long as he could, even after the meeting with Pry was canceled.)
**
In speaking with my source who was close to the selection process, I found it amazing that the wave of optimism within the MSU chase was congruent with the wave of rumblings that we fielded and relayed here on the message board. The wave for each started at the same time, reached a crescendo at the same time, and flat-lined at the same time - temporarily.
Meanwhile, I thought Bunkerites did a good job of not overreacting when we pretty much narrowed it down to Tucker being the man. I'm not sure how many Bunkers added it all up and realized that Tucker had to be the man. I didn't come out and point it out to them. But I'm sure that some of you did.
I wasn't watching Twitter, but it's my understanding that most of the rumors on Twitter surrounded Shurmur. I think that was the work of the diversion. If all of that Twitter hubbub had centered around Tucker, combined with the tense moments that took place around 7 p.m., the entire process might have been knocked off-balance.
MSu and Tucker needed this process to stay ultra quiet until an agreement in principle was in place.
Tips began flying in through SpartanMag.com sources at about 1 p.m. on Tuesday that Michigan State was back at the plate, with a good chance to land a new head coach by the end of the day. Shortly thereafter, after receiving more tips from credible sources, I posted Coach Update VI.
Good sources continued to tell us to varying degrees that things were cooking for Michigan State. Ocasionally, a source would name Tucker as the target. Most sources weren't giving up any names, or weren't told any names, but confirmed that something big was happening. Some people knew, but weren't telling. There was some tenseness to it that was different than the Fickell chase. I think people learned from the Fickell situation. I chose not to relay Tucker's name in the thread, initially. But, from the beginning, he was the guy I thought was most likely to be the man, if Michigan State were to wrap this up at mid-week, or possibly Shurmur.
I did a guest spot on the Mad Dog radio show in Lansing at about 4:45 p.m., while fielding tips on my phone, and officiating over the Coach Update VI thread. Mad Dog DeMarco asked me, one after the other, on the air, about potential candidates. I told him I didn't think Brian Hartline or fluff candidate du jour Jim Leonhard were qualified candidates at this time. I did tell him that I wouldn't be surprised if Michigan State circled back and made a run at Tucker, and I told him I believed Michigan State would in fact reach out to Shurmur again. I didn't know it at the time, but both had already happened. I was on the air and fielding tips simultaneously. That was a new one for me.
Then everything went quiet between 5:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
Meanwhile, rumors spread that Michigan State was interested in Pat Shurmur, to the point that the Denver Broncos had to release statements from Shurmur that he wasn't leaving for Michigan State.
Tips from other avenues within the sports industry, a source of information that I've found reliable over the years, were leaking out info that linked Michigan State with Shurmur, Tucker, Harlon Barnett and even Penn State defensive coordinator Brent Pry. Heads were spinning.
That's when I started to wonder if we were all being catfished, or smokescreened. The Shurmur rumors were especially effective.
I have since been told by sources within that sector of the sports industry that misdirections were in fact put in place, to divert attention from the Tucker chase. I have a hunch that those diversions were set in motion by search firm executive Glenn Sugiyama, but I can't prove it, and it's probably not important. He might just give a proud poker face smile if I asked him if this were true.
If word of MSU's interest in Tucker had gotten out earlier in the day, it might have damaged MSU's chances.
Around 6:30 p.m., I posted that if Michigan State were to hire someone so soon after the Fickell disappointment, it would likely be someone that had already interviewed, someone who had already been vetted.
Privately, in speaking with Paul Konyndyk, Big Moobie Ron Armstrong, Matt Dorsey, and others, we believed that if Michigan State were to hire someone at mid-week, it would have to be someone whom the Board of Trustees would endorse quickly. Tucker and Barnett fit that category, and possibly Shurmur. Anyone else would likely require more deliberation and wouldn't enable the process to end that fast. I spoke with a source earlier in the day that led me to believe strongly that Robert Saleh wasn't interested, wasn't in the conversation.
I posted that I believed that it would be a smart move for Michigan State to circle back and go after Tucker, while I also predicted that at least a portion of the search committee would reach out once again to Shurmur (something had taken place, but not yet to my knowledge). I had believed this would be a smart, likely move all day, but I didn't post it until about 5 p.m. I posted Tucker's name ALONG with Shurmur's name, to spread out the lightning rod a little bit. (Actually, this post was an accident. I wrote the post, and delayed pressing the "post" button for more than 30 minutes, trying to decide whether it was a good idea or not, trying to decide whether the Bunker could handle the info, and whether it might set off flashing lights all around the internet about Michigan State and Tucker, something that at that point I believed could throw tacks in MSU's tires in the Tucker chase. The message window remained open on my screen for more than 30 minutes. I accidentally posted it while thinking I was responded to a different post. Then it was out there, there was no taking it back, and we had to talk about it a little bit. I stressed that Michigan State circling back for Shurmur and/or Tucker was only my line of thinking, with no sources backing it up at that point.)
At that point, I didn't know for sure that Michigan State was pursuing Tucker. I had received information from sources telling me that Michigan State had reached a deal with Tucker, Tucker was going to be the man - information that turned out to be premature. At that point, I didn't fully believe the sources, but there's no question there was a big Tucker plume of smoke out there. I was still wondering about the evidence of a catfish diversion.
Also, the one thing that never added up for me, was the interview that Tucker did with a Denver radio station earlier on Tuesday. If he was heading to Michigan State, why would he do that interview? I kept asking myself that, and asking sources that, throughout the day. I talked about it with Paul, Moobie, and others. We tried to find out if the radio interview had been pre-recorded. The radio interview made me think that even Tucker might be part of the catfish scheme, but that would seem cruel and dangerous to put a coach in that position, a coach who couldn't afford to be dragged into Michigan State rumors AGAIN. So I didn't know what to think, but the tips from earlier in the day about Tucker to Michigan State still lingered.
A source later told me that Tucker didn't agree to sit down and hash things out with Michigan State until after that radio interview. So Tucker, in his heart and mind, was truly still the Colorado coach when he did that interview. But Michigan State was still knocking on his door, and he knew it.
**
Getting back to the person I met with at 2:30 a.m., he said things were looking good for Michigan State and Tucker around 2 p.m. on Tuesday - right around the time that those positive rumors started to fly.
Then, he said, things suddenly didn't look as promising around 6 p.m., for reasons he didn't disclose - and that was right around the time the rumors and tips came to a screeching halt from my sources. And with it, our Coach Update VI thread dried up. I shut it down at about 7 p.m.
That's also about the time that I started to wonder again if the whole thing was a giant catfish diversion, including some of the Tucker info. And we began floating that theory on the Underground Bunker message board, at a different thread.
I thought it was relatively harmless for a smokescreener to manufactor job hunt hype about Shurmur. Shurmur doesn't have a locker room full of former recruits and parents to level with and answer to. And it's safe to use Barnett as a smokescreen. Job rumors involving him aren't going to affect his current source of income. And Pry at Penn State is happy for any publicity he can get. On Monday, he called an ESPN writer to squelch rumors of his interest in Michigan State - rumors that didn't even exist. But he apparently wanted some rumors. (And Pry was in fact on Sugiyama's initial list of Michigan State candidates. Sources tell me Pry was reached to gauge his interest. Remember the original flight plans of the Michigan State plane that flew to Colorado, Northern California and Cincinnati? Remember the flight plans that were slated to go from Cincinnati to State College, Pa.? Well, that flight plan did in fact reflect original plans to speak with Pry. But those plans were canceled. Later, sources told me the State College flight plan was a diversion in itself, and I reported it that way here. But in actuality, it was a legitimate plan at first. One theory is that Sugiyama held it as a diversion as long as he could, even after the meeting with Pry was canceled.)
**
In speaking with my source who was close to the selection process, I found it amazing that the wave of optimism within the MSU chase was congruent with the wave of rumblings that we fielded and relayed here on the message board. The wave for each started at the same time, reached a crescendo at the same time, and flat-lined at the same time - temporarily.
Meanwhile, I thought Bunkerites did a good job of not overreacting when we pretty much narrowed it down to Tucker being the man. I'm not sure how many Bunkers added it all up and realized that Tucker had to be the man. I didn't come out and point it out to them. But I'm sure that some of you did.
I wasn't watching Twitter, but it's my understanding that most of the rumors on Twitter surrounded Shurmur. I think that was the work of the diversion. If all of that Twitter hubbub had centered around Tucker, combined with the tense moments that took place around 7 p.m., the entire process might have been knocked off-balance.
MSu and Tucker needed this process to stay ultra quiet until an agreement in principle was in place.
