Michigan State football: 5 potential replacements for Mark Dantonio

EAST LANSING, MI - SEPTEMBER 28: Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio paces the field during warm ups prior to a college football game between the Michigan State Spartans and Indiana Hoosiers on September 28, 2019 at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, MI. (Photo by Adam Ruff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

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Mandatory Credit: Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images /

4. P.J. Fleck, Minnesota Head Coach

After Saturday night’s 34-7 win over Nebraska, the Golden Gophers are 6-0 for the first time since 2003 under Glen Mason. Fleck has orchestrated a solid progression at Minnesota, from 5-7 in his first season to 7-6 (with a win over Wisconsin and a bowl victory) last year to what could be an 8-0 start with games coming against Rutgers and Maryland.

Under the idea of Michigan State targeting the opposite of Dantonio, you can’t get any more opposite than Fleck. With his “Row The Boat” mantra and other easy to criticize phrases and philosophies, he’s done a solid job recruiting and it has started to show on the field for the Gophers.

In this day and age coaches have to know how to reach and inspire kids by whatever means they can and be believable. Fleck pulls it off, even if a he’s a bit over the top if you’re not 17 or 18 years old, while Dantonio has struggled to recruit at a high level in recent years (particularly offensive talent as the Spartans’ offense has not evolved, to put it kindly).

By all outer indications, Fleck does not see Minnesota as a stepping stone job. But as Michigan State starts to consider how they’d move to replace Dantonio, which they have to be at this point, they should have Fleck on their early list of candidates.

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