Now that the Michigan State football program has officially fired Mel Tucker for cause, the Spartans need a new head coach. While Harlon Barnett is the acting Michigan State football coach, the school is thought the be considering a litany of candidates to replace Mel Tucker.

PJ Fleck, Charles Huff, Pat Narduzzi, Sean Lewis and Matt Campbell are among the early potential candidates to watch for the next Michigan State football coach, according to 247Sports' Brandon Marcello. Marcello also listed Mike Elko, Lance Leipold, Johnathan Smith, Dave Clawson and Jason Candle in the long list of possible Tucker replacements.

Lewis highlights the list of Michigan State candidates who isn't currently a head coach. Lewis is the offensive coordinator for Colorado, which has received more national attention than any other college football team in the 2023 season. Before Colorado was hit with a dose of reality in last week's 42-6 loss at the hands of Oregon, the Buffaloes averaged 41.3 points per game during a 3-0 start.

Campbell has a 48-44 record as the Iowa State head coach. Fleck has gone 46-29 with Minnesota. Elko could quickly emerge as one of the hottest head coaching candidates around the sport. After going 9-4 in his first year as the Duke head coach, Elko has the Blue Devils off to a 4-0 start, which includes a 28-7 beatdown of Clemson.

Narduzzi could make the most sense as Tucker's successor. As the Pittsburgh head coach, Narduzzi has a 63-43 record, including a 20-7 record from 2021-2022. Before he was hired by Pittsburgh ahead of the 2015 season, Pat Narduzzi spent eight years as the Michigan State defensive coordinator.