Michigan State Football Loses Wins Over NCAA Violations Under Mel Tucker

Michigan State Football Faces NCAA Penalties

Michigan State football has been placed on three years of probation by the NCAA due to violations that occurred during Mel Tucker’s time as head coach. The penalties include the vacating of 14 wins, with five of those games occurring under Jonathan Smith, who took over as head coach after Tucker left.

Tucker was found to have violated head coach responsibility rules and failed to properly monitor his program. According to the NCAA release, he committed Level 1-standard violations but was not directly involved in any recruiting violations. The NCAA noted that Tucker "followed an NFL model for his program," running all off-field operations through his general manager. However, it stated that he "failed to adequately monitor his program."

As a result, Tucker has received a three-year show-cause order. This means that if he is hired by another school, he will be suspended from 30% of the football season during the first year of his new employment. This penalty is intended to ensure that future institutions are cautious when considering hiring him.

Financial and Program Penalties

The university released a statement confirming that the Spartans will face financial penalties. These include a $30,000 fine plus 1.5% of the football program’s budget. The NCAA cited former staff members for arranging and providing impermissible recruiting inducements and benefits, as well as unofficial visit expenses.

In addition, MSU, the NCAA, and its Committee on Infractions found that Tucker’s staff engaged in impermissible contacts with prospective student-athletes. These actions are considered serious violations of NCAA rules and can significantly impact the integrity of the program.

Impact on the Program

Along with the financial punishments, the Spartans will vacate wins from 2022-24, 14 in total, due to participation of three ineligible players.

MSU becomes the first program since Arizona State to have wins vacated by the NCAA. The Sun Devils vacated 10 wins in 2021-22 due to violations under coach Herm Edwards.

MSU also will receive restrictions on official visits, unofficial visits, recruiting communication, recruiting-person days and off-campus recruiting contacts and evaluations over a three-year probationary period.

An MSU spokesman confirmed all of the Spartans' wins for the past three seasons will be vacated. Tucker went 5-7 in 2022, he and interim coach Harlon Barnett were 4-8 in 2023, and MSU was 5-7 in Jonathan Smith's first season in 2024.

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The NCAA said the "institution shall vacate all regular season and conference tournament wins, records and participation in which the ineligible student-athletes competed from the time they became ineligible through the time they were reinstated as eligible for competition." Those athletes involved are no longer members of the football program this season, an MSU spokesman confirmed.

The NCAA identified former Tucker staff members Saeed Khalif and Brandon Jordan, along with other members of the football staff, for offering or providing approximately $10,764 in impermissible recruiting inducements to six prospects who took unofficial visits to MSU. Jordan, who had worked as a trainer with NFL athletes before Tucker hired him in January 2022, received a five-year show-cause order effective Sept. 25, 2025, that runs through 2030 for Level 1 NCAA violations. Khalif, who Tucker hired away from Wisconsin in June 2021, received a six-year show-cause order that runs through 2031.

Tucker contested his head coach responsibility violation, and his case was processed through a written record hearing, according to the NCAA's report.

President Kevin Guskiewicz and athletic director J Batt, neither of whom were working at MSU at the time, issued a joint statement on the findings Wednesday, Nov. 12:

“Today’s announcement brings closure to an NCAA investigation resulting from violations committed by a previous staff. Michigan State pursued a negotiated resolution to minimize the penalties and limit the possible impact on our current football student-athletes and staff, who were not involved in the violations. With this matter behind us, we are able to move forward, focusing on the present and future of Spartan football.

“Michigan State athletics is committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity and operating in compliance with NCAA rules. Our compliance systems worked as intended. Once Michigan State became aware of a level 3 violation, we self-reported and followed all appropriate protocols. This prompt self-disclosure and acceptance of responsibility for the violations mitigated the case and penalties, even as new violations and corroborating evidence was uncovered during the subsequent investigation.

“While we accept the NCAA’s findings and respect the process, we are disappointed in the prescribed penalty related to the vacation of records. We understand that the enforcement process follows established guidelines, but we also recognize the opportunity for continued modernization.”

Tucker was fired during the 2023 season for off-field allegations. He was 20-14 overall and 12-13 in Big Ten play during his three-plus seasons from 2020-23.

The Spartans are currently 3-6 and on a six-game losing streak under his second-year replacement, Jonathan Smith.

MSU self-reported the matter to the NCAA on Aug. 29, 2023, after an internal audit found between Oct. 30, 2021, and at least March 18, 2023, that "Jordan, Khalif and/or other members of the football staff offered, arranged for and/or provided" more than $10,000 that went to at least six football prospective student-athletes, their family members, friends and individuals associated with the prospect. It included providing hotel lodging, air travel, transportation, apparel and cash, along with an offer from Khalif to one player in the spring/summer of 2022 "to pay for Prospect 1's family vacations" to forego official visits to other schools.

The NCAA alleges that from Jan. 3-6, 2022, Khalif provided $3,075 for one-way airfare for three athletes who eventually “competed in 26 contests while ineligible” and round-trip flights for their respective family members. Those athletes played for MSU in 2022, 2023 and in 2024 under Smith, who was hired a day after the 2023 season ended.

The school was unaware of the three players' ineligibility until being informed by the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions in January this year.

Khalif’s contract expired in March 2023 and was not renewed, and Jordan left the Spartans following the 2022 season, his only one on staff. Jordan did not cooperate with the investigation, the NCAA report said. Khalif declined to be interviewed by the enforcement staff, the report said, and "produced a portion" of its requested bank records on Jan. 31 this year; he did not provide unredacted copies to date.

Tucker was fired for cause in violating the moral turpitude clause in his contract on Sept. 27, 2023. MSU had signed Tucker to a 10-year, $95 million guaranteed contract extension during the Spartans’ 11-2 season in 2021 that resulted in a top-10 finish and a Peach Bowl victory. He was due roughly $75 million through 2032 at the time of his firing.

The university, in an October 2023 decision, determined Tucker sexually harassed sexual assault victims rights advocate Brenda Tracy, a violation of school policy. Tucker filed a wrongful termination suit against MSU in July 2024, and Tracy has sued both Tucker and MSU. Those cases remain ongoing.

Tucker was hired by then-athletic director Bill Beekman on Feb. 16, 2020, to replace Mark Dantonio after MSU’s all-time winningest coach abruptly retired 12 days earlier.

Read the full NCAA report.

Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State football must vacate wins for NCAA violations in Mel Tucker era

The penalties will have a lasting impact on the Michigan State football program. The vacating of 14 wins could affect the team's historical records and their standing in the Big Ten Conference. Fans and players alike may feel the consequences of these violations, both in terms of performance and reputation.

The three-year probation period will require the program to maintain strict compliance with NCAA regulations. This includes implementing stronger oversight of coaching staff and ensuring that all recruiting activities are conducted within the established guidelines.

Looking Ahead

The situation highlights the importance of accountability and transparency in college sports. As the program moves forward, it will need to rebuild trust with fans, recruits, and the broader athletic community. Coaches and administrators must work together to ensure that such violations do not occur again.

For Mel Tucker, the show-cause order serves as a warning to other coaches about the potential consequences of failing to uphold NCAA standards. It also underscores the need for strong leadership and ethical decision-making at all levels of collegiate athletics.

As the Spartans continue their journey, the focus will shift to recovery and rebuilding. With the right strategies and commitment to compliance, Michigan State football can emerge stronger from this challenging chapter.