Who Is Mel Tucker?

(CBS DETROIT) - Michigan State is preparing to offer its football coach a 10-year, $95 million contract extension. Here's more information about the coach, Mel Tucker, who is set to make history with this deal.

EAST LANSING, MICHIGAN - NOVEMBER 13: Head coach Mel Tucker of the Michigan State Spartans yells out to his players in the second half against the Maryland Terrapins at Spartan Stadium on November 13, 2021, in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)

Mel Tucker was named the head football coach for the Michigan State Spartans in 2020.

He actually started his coaching career at MSU as a graduate assistant under Nick Saban, the head coach at the time.

After this, he was a defensive backs coach at Miami University, Lousiana State University, and then at Ohio State University.

In 2005, Tucker began coaching the Cleveland Browns and then went on to coach ten seasons in the NFL as a defensive backs coach.

After his time coaching in the NFL, Tucker returned to coaching college football and became the head coach for the University of Colorado in 2019. He resigned from the position in 2020 so that he could serve as the head coach at Michigan State.

Michigan State reported that during his introductory press conference, Tucker said, "I love the positives of the Michigan State Football legacy. I cannot be more fired up about being part of this culture; this is a winning culture."

According to the Detroit Free Press, if everything goes as planned with this $95 million contract extension, Tucker will become the highest-paid coach in the Big Ten and the highest-paid Black head coach in American sports.

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