Colorado head football coach Mel Tucker said on two Denver radio interviews Tuesday morning that Michigan State’s interest in him reflects well on the Buffaloes program, while reaffirming his commitment to the school.
Tucker made appearances on KOA radio and Altitude Sports Radio and addressed last week’s report that Michigan State was interested in interviewing him for its vacant head coaching position.
Tucker was not asked if he actually interviewed with the Spartans, but said it’s positive for CU that he was viewed as a candidate.
“I’m not exactly sure how it got out,” Tucker said of the report. “It’s always flattering when a school reaches out to you and has interest. I feel like we must doing something right here to garner that type of attention. I’m really excited about being here. These things happen in this business. I was able to release a statement to really express how I feel about CU and what we’re doing here. I try not to speculate too much on rumors and innuendo and things like that.”
KOA host Dave Logan, who is also the head coach at Cherry Creek High School, which had two players in CU’s latest recruiting class, asked Tucker about the worry it caused CU fans that Tucker might be looking elsewhere after just one season in Boulder.
“Yeah, certainly, I understand that,” Tucker said. “Again, I think it’s just a sign of we must be doing something right here in our program to garner that type of interest. That doesn’t really change anything about how I feel about CU.”
Tucker gave the same message on Altitude radio, but did confirm a report that came out Monday that the Buffs have lost defensive line coach Jimmy Brumbaugh, who is taking the same position at Tennessee.
“He thought that was a great opportunity for he and his family and that’s what we all want,” Tucker said of Brumbaugh. “In this business, that’s going to happen.”
Brumbaugh’s departure is the first change to Tucker’s original coaching staff, but Brumbaugh wasn’t the first to receive an offer. Offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic was pursued by Missouri and Auburn this winter.
“As we build this program going forward, there’s going to be interest in all of our coaches, I believe, because people are going to recognize we’re doing things the right way,” Tucker said on Altitude. “It’s been a tall task to keep my staff intact up until this point, because a lot of our coaches have been highly sought after this offseason. For the most part we’ve been able to keep our staff intact, but that’s part of it when people want to win and they’re trying to find the best people to do it.”
With the Michigan State rumors seemingly in the rearview mirror – although the Spartans have yet to hire a coach – Tucker said he’s looking forward to continuing what he’s doing at CU, especially with spring football set to start next month.
“I’m really excited about what we’re building here at CU,” he said. “The first year was about culture shift and now it’s about the build and I’m laser focused on the task at hand.”
Notable
Receiver Braedin Huffman-Dixon has put his name in the NCAA transfer portal. Huffman-Dixon, from Mater Dei (Calif.) High School, was a true freshman with the Buffs last season and did not appear in any games. … With Huffman-Dixon’s departure, the Buffs have a projected 86 scholarship players for next year – one above the NCAA maximum of 85. … The first spring practice is slated for March 16. The spring game has been scheduled for April 25.
