The Colorado football program is now in search of a new head coach very late into the process after news that Mel Tucker was leaving the Buffaloes to replace Mark Dantonio as head coach of the Michigan State Spartans.
Tucker reportedly handed his resignation in to athletic director Rick George overnight.
After receiving the resignation from the head coach, George issued a statement expressing his disappointment in Tucker’s decision but confidence in the program as they prepare to move forward.
“We are disappointed to see Coach Tucker leave,” George said, according to 247 Sports. “We are excited about the upward trajectory of our football program, and we’ll get to work immediately hiring the next head coach to build on our momentum and lead our young men. We’re confident this program is on the verge of competing at the highest level and has the resources and support in place to do so for a long time.”
Tucker’s decision to take over Michigan State allows him to return to where his coaching career began as a graduate assistant in 1997. He would later make stops at LSU and Ohio State before nearly a decade in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Chicago Bears.
Tucker would return to the collegiate level in 2015 as the assistant head coach and defensive backs coach at Alabama before taking over as defensive coordinator at Georgia. He would ultimately turn that gig into his first head coaching opportunity with Colorado which lasted just one season.
