Mel Tucker, Nick Saban Coaching Disciple, Learned His Lessons Well

Somebody needs to give angry grandpa Drew Pearson a history lesson, so here goes.

Mel Tucker’s about-face this week, culminating in his widely reported hiring on Wednesday as Mark Dantonio’s successor at Michigan State, should come as absolutely no surprise to anyone who’s been paying attention.

Not just to the multipage resume of the well-traveled Tucker, who bolted Boulder after going 5-7 in his only season as the head football coach at the University of Colorado, but to that of his most distinguished mentor, Nick Saban.

Has it really been 13-plus years since Saban, then two middling years into scratching his NFL itch with Wayne Huizenga’s Miami Dolphins, delivered the denial of all denials in the face of persistent rumors he’d soon be taking his talents to Tuscaloosa?

“I guess I have to say it,” Saban infamously said on Dec. 21, 2006. "I'm not going to be the Alabama coach."

Two weeks later, Saban resigned his NFL post and accepted an eight-year, $32 million deal to coach the Crimson Tide. Five national titles at Alabama later, Saban seems to have outrun his overly strenuous denial, even perhaps in South Florida.

Tucker’s reversal, however, must be viewed in a Saban-tinged context, and not just because Tucker started out as a grad assistant under Saban in East Lansing. Four days before news broke that Tucker would be doubling his annual salary by agreeing to take over the troubled Spartans program, he took to Twitter for a regrettably forceful renewal of vows with the Pac-12 also-ran.

“While I am flattered to be considered for the HC job (at Michigan State),” Tucker tweeted, “I am committed to (Colorado football) for #The Build of our program, its great athletes, coaches & supporters.”

That was bad enough, but this being the social-media age, Tucker kept coming with ridiculous hashtags: #UnfinishedBusiness #GoBuffs #Relentless #Culture #TheBuild.

Pearson, a three-time All-Pro wide receiver with the Dallas Cowboys from 1973-83, apparently took Tucker literally. By Wednesday morning, Pearson took to his own Twitter account to light up Tucker for leaving 2020 signee Toren Pittman, a three-star safety from Frisco, Texas, and the rest of the Buffaloes’ incoming freshman class.

“MEL TUCKER IS A CON MAN!” the 69-year-old Pearson tweeted. “He recruited my grandson to go to CU, said he wasn’t going anywhere, then ups and leaves. Sat there and lied to my face he wasn’t going anywhere! So I want to beat him up today on social media. What else can I do?”

Four and a half decades ago, Pearson was on the receiving end of the first desperation pass ever dubbed a “Hail Mary.” As any Minnesota Vikings fan can tell you, Pearson pushed off cornerback Nate Wright to make that scoring grab in the 1975 NFC playoffs, so maybe he shouldn’t be so surprised to see a modern college head coach act in blatant self-interest.

After Spartans boosters struck out in their pursuit of Pittsburgh’s Pat Narduzzi and Cincinnati’s Luke Fickell, they circled back with a Hail Mary of their own and landed Tucker. At 48, the Cleveland native and former Wisconsin defensive back returns to Big Ten country and follows in Saban’s famous footsteps.

The narrative fits snugly, especially since Tucker, who spent six total seasons as an NFL defensive coordinator with the Browns, Jaguars and Bears, also coached on Saban’s defensive staffs at LSU (2000) and Alabama (2015).

“He’s got a great personality,” Saban said of Tucker during the latter’s three-year stopover (2016-18) at the University of Georgia. “The players are really attracted to him. He’s enthusiastic and smart. He’s one of the best coaches we’ve ever had on staff here.”

Obviously, judging from the way this high-stakes courtship played out, Tucker was paying close attention to his legendary mentor.

Mike Berardino is a freelance writer based in South Bend, Ind. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.