Michigan State's Mel Tucker might be the coolest coach in college football - Axios DetroitLog InLog InAxios Detroit is an Axios company.

Mel Tucker steals the show

Michigan State head coach Mel Tucker. Photo: Nic Antaya/Getty Images Cigar-smoking Mel Tucker might just be the coolest college football coach in all of the land. The intrigue: Michigan State's third-year coach is drawing national attention to the program through flashy recruiting tactics that involve riding in and a top notch ."We recruit nationally, so anything we can do on social media to sell our program, we're going to do it," he told the. Between the lines: Tucker worked his way up from making $400/month as a graduate assistant at MSU under Nick Saban in 1997 to now being the highest-paid Black coach in sports. Tucker, who landed a 10 year, $95 million contract last year, spoke to the about the ways Black coaches face greater challenges while climbing the coaching ladder."My dad can't make a call," Tucker said. "Obviously it's not what you know, it's who you know — it is what it is." What we're watching: Tucker's Spartans host Western Michigan University tonight at 7pm in East Lansing for the season opener. WMU's offensive coordinator, Jeff Thorne, is the father of starting Spartan quarterback Payton Thorne. Meanwhile, Jim Harbaugh's Wolverines are dealing with a quarterback battle in Ann Arbor. 2021 starter Cade McNamara was named the starter for the season opener against Colorado State (noon tomorrow on ABC), while J.J. McCarthy is the Week 2 starter against Hawaii. Sam's thought bubble: Tucker has single- handedly sparked my renewed interest in college football, which I haven't felt since Western Michigan's P.J. Fleck days. Joe's thought bubble: I'm weary of college coach worship (hello, Coach K), but I can't help loving Tucker. MSU's tenacity last season seemed like a direct reflection of his influence.His pregame before last season's U of M game — goosebumps.And yes, I went to MSU. Get more local stories in your inbox with .Subscribe Support local journalism by becoming a member.

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