The past three seasons of Michigan State football have essentially been erased.
The Spartans will vacate all 14 of their wins from 2022 to 2024, which includes Jonathan Smith’s first year as their head coach, as part of the NCAA’s punishment over violations the program committed during former head coach Mel Tucker’s tenure. Michigan State football will also be put on probation for three years, during which the team’s official and unofficial visits, recruiting communications, recruiting person days, and off-campus recruiting contacts and evaluations will be restricted.
The NCAA found that three ineligible players participated for the Spartans under Tucker. Although the NCAA concluded that Tucker wasn’t involved in the recruiting violations, the league still penalized him under head coach responsibility rules with a three-year show-cause order, which effectively bans him from college athletics for that duration. Tucker has contested the decision in writing.
In addition to the vacated wins and the probationary period, Michigan State will also be fined $30,000, plus 1.5% of the football program’s budget ($58.6 million in 2024).
As bad as the Spartans’ punishment may seem, it apparently could’ve been much worse. The school said that it negotiated a resolution to minimize the penalties on the current team.
“With this matter behind us, we are able to move forward, focusing on the present and future of Spartan football,” Michigan State president Kevin Guskiewicz and athletic director J Batt said in a joint statement.
The same can’t be said for ex-Spartans general manager Saeed Khalif and former assistant coach Brandon Jordan, who received show-cause penalties of six and five years, respectively. They received longer bans than Tucker because they knowingly provided impermissible recruiting inducements, per the NCAA.
Michigan State has struggled since firing Tucker in 2023 over sexual harassment accusations. The Spartans finished the 2023 season 4-8 and are 8-13 since Smith took over in 2024. That record includes a 3-6 overall mark this season, as well as an 0-6 record in Big Ten play.
