The Michigan State Spartans head coach who stepped down Tuesday and two coaches believed to be candidates to replace him in East Lansing all have Greater Cincinnati connections.
Mark Dantonio, who announced his resignation, was the Cincinnati Bearcats' head coach from 2004 to 2006 before he took the job at MSU. He spent the past 13 seasons as the Spartans' head coach.
Luke Fickell, the Bearcats' head coach since 2017, is the frontrunner to replace Dantonio at Michigan State, according to Detroit Free Press' David Jesse.