Coaches
Mel Tucker
His career from Wikipedia, each job checked against the team-season pages (✓ = a second source agrees, ≠ = they disagree)
Mel Tucker
Played at Wisconsin 1990-1992, Wisconsin 1994 · alma mater (CFBD): Wisconsin
Source: Wikipedia, read 2026-10-26
| Years | Team | Role | Title | Head coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997-1998 | Michigan State | GA | GA | Nick Saban |
| 1999 | Miami (OH) | Position | DB | Terry Hoeppner |
| 2000 | LSU | Position | DB | Nick Saban |
| 2001-2003 | Ohio State | Position | DB | Jim Tressel |
| 2004 | Ohio State | DC | co-DC | Jim Tressel |
| 2005-2007 | Cleveland Browns (pro) | Position | DB | not known |
| 2008 | Cleveland Browns (DC) (unknown) | Head coach | Head coach | himself |
| 2009-2011 | Jacksonville Jaguars (pro) | DC | DC | not known |
| 2011 | Jacksonville Jaguars (pro) | Other | interim | not known |
| 2012 | Jacksonville Jaguars (pro) | DC | AHC/DC | not known |
| 2013-2014 | Chicago Bears (pro) | DC | DC | not known |
| 2015 | Alabama | Position | AHC/DB | Nick Saban |
| 2016-2018 | Georgia | DC | DC/DB✓ | Kirby Smart*+ |
| 2019 | Colorado | Head coach | Head coach✓ | himself |
| 2020-2023 | Michigan State | Head coach | Head coach✓ | himself |
Record
Confirmed coordinator seasons since 2005. FBS rankings
| Season | Team | Job | EPA/play | Points/poss. | Success | Year before | Teams |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Georgia | Defensive coordinator | 40 | 38 | 40 | 7 | 128 |
| 2017 | Georgia | Defensive coordinator | 19 | 7 | 15 | 40 | 130 |
| 2018 | Georgia | Defensive coordinator | 16 | 23 | 59 | 19 | 130 |
| Season | Head coach at | Record | AP before → after | Off EPA/play | Def EPA/play | SP+ | Team year before | Teams |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Colorado | 5-7 | - → - | 68 | 116 | -4.1 | 42% wins | 130 |
| 2020 | Michigan State | 2-5 | - → - | 124 | 36 | -2.4 | 54% wins | 127 |
| 2021 | Michigan State | 11-2 | - → 9 | 45 | 70 | 11.2 | 29% wins | 130 |
| 2022 | Michigan State | 5-7 | 15 → - | 78 | 105 | 1.2 | 85% wins | 131 |
| 2023 | Michigan State | 2-0 (2 of 12) | - → - | 132 | 83 | -6.8 | 42% wins | 133 |
Worked under
- Nick Saban · Michigan State 1997-1998 (GA)
- Terry Hoeppner · Miami (OH) 1999 (Position)
- Nick Saban · LSU 2000 (Position)
- Jim Tressel · Ohio State 2001-2004 (DC, Position)
- Nick Saban · Alabama 2015 (Other, Position)
- Kirby Smart*+ · Georgia 2016-2018 (DC, Position)
His tree
Coaches who were on his staffs
On his staffs · 8
- Chris Kapilovic · Colorado 2019 (Other, Position)
- Darrin Chiaverini · Colorado 2019 (Other, Position)
- Jay Johnson · Colorado 2019 (OC, Position)
- Ross Els · Colorado 2019 (Position, ST coord.)
- Tyson Summers · Colorado 2019 (DC, Position)
- Harlon Barnett · Michigan State 2020-2022 (Position)
- Mike Tressel · Michigan State 2020 (Position)
- Scottie Hazelton · Michigan State 2020-2022 (DC)
Coached together
- Brian Polian · Michigan State 1997 · him GA, them GA
- Chuck Bullough · Michigan State 1997-1998 · him GA, them Position
- Gary Tranquill · Michigan State 1997-1998 · him GA, them OC, Position
- Greg Colby · Michigan State 1997 · him GA, them Other
- Jim Bollman · Michigan State 1997 · him GA, them Position
- Mark Dantonio · Michigan State 1997-1998 · him GA, them Position
- Nick Saban · Michigan State 1997-1998 · him GA, them Head coach
- Pat Shurmur · Michigan State 1997 · him GA, them Position
- Todd Grantham · Michigan State 1997-1998 · him GA, them Other, Position
- Bill Sheridan · Michigan State 1998 · him GA, them Position
- Brian Daboll · Michigan State 1998 · him GA, them GA
- Chris Cosh · Michigan State 1998 · him GA, them DC
- Terry Hoeppner · Miami (OH) 1999 · him Position, them Head coach
- Derek Dooley · LSU 2000 · him Position, them Position
- Freddie Kitchens · LSU 2000 · him Position, them GA
- Jimbo Fisher · LSU 2000 · him Position, them OC, Position
- Michael Haywood · LSU 2000 · him Position, them Position, ST coord.
- Nick Saban · LSU 2000 · him Position, them Head coach
- Phil Elmassian · LSU 2000 · him Position, them DC
- Sal Sunseri · LSU 2000 · him Position, them Position
- Jim Bollman · Ohio State 2001-2004 · him DC, Position, them OC, Position
- Jim Heacock · Ohio State 2001-2004 · him DC, Position, them Position
- Jim Tressel · Ohio State 2001-2004 · him DC, Position, them Head coach
- Mark Snyder · Ohio State 2001-2004 · him DC, Position, them DC, Position
- Luke Fickell* · Ohio State 2002-2004 · him DC, Position, them Position, ST coord.
- Mike Tressel · Ohio State 2002-2003 · him Position, them GA
- Alex Golesh* · Ohio State 2004 · him DC, them Other
- Darrell Hazell · Ohio State 2004 · him DC, them Position
- Joe Rudolph · Ohio State 2004 · him DC, them GA
- Todd Goebbel · Ohio State 2004 · him DC, them Analyst
- Aazaar Abdul-Rahim · Alabama 2015 · him Other, Position, them Other
- Alex Mortensen* · Alabama 2015 · him Other, Position, them GA
- Billy Napier* · Alabama 2015 · him Other, Position, them Position
- Charlie Weis Jr. · Alabama 2015 · him Other, Position, them Analyst
- Dan Lanning*+ · Alabama 2015 · him Other, Position, them GA
- Doug Belk · Alabama 2015 · him Other, Position, them GA
- Eric Kiesau · Alabama 2015 · him Other, Position, them Analyst
- Kirby Smart*+ · Alabama 2015 · him Other, Position, them DC
- Lane Kiffin*+ · Alabama 2015 · him Other, Position, them OC, Position
- Mario Cristobal*+ · Alabama 2015 · him Other, Position, them Other, Position
- Nick Saban · Alabama 2015 · him Other, Position, them Head coach
- Tosh Lupoi* · Alabama 2015 · him Other, Position, them Analyst
- Brian VanGorder · Georgia 2016 · him DC, Position, them Analyst
- Dell McGee* · Georgia 2016-2018 · him DC, Position, them Other, Position
- Glenn Schumann · Georgia 2016-2018 · him DC, Position, them Position
- James Coley · Georgia 2016-2018 · him DC, Position, them OC, Position
- Jim Chaney · Georgia 2016-2018 · him DC, Position, them OC, Position
- Kevin Sherrer · Georgia 2016-2017 · him DC, Position, them Position
- Kirby Smart*+ · Georgia 2016-2018 · him DC, Position, them Head coach
- Sam Pittman · Georgia 2016-2018 · him DC, Position, them Position
- Shane Beamer*+ · Georgia 2016-2017 · him DC, Position, them Position, ST coord.
- Will Windham · Georgia 2016-2017 · him DC, Position, them Analyst
- Jay Johnson · Georgia 2017-2018 · him DC, Position, them Analyst
- Cortez Hankton · Georgia 2018 · him DC, Position, them Position
- Dan Lanning*+ · Georgia 2018 · him DC, Position, them Position
- Tyson Summers · Georgia 2018 · him DC, Position, them Analyst
- Chris Kapilovic · Colorado 2019 · him Head coach, them Other, Position
- Darrin Chiaverini · Colorado 2019 · him Head coach, them Other, Position
- Jay Johnson · Colorado 2019 · him Head coach, them OC, Position
- Ross Els · Colorado 2019 · him Head coach, them Position, ST coord.
- Tyson Summers · Colorado 2019 · him Head coach, them DC, Position
- Chris Kapilovic · Michigan State 2020-2023 · him Head coach, them Other, Position
- Harlon Barnett · Michigan State 2020-2023 · him Head coach, them Head coach, Position
- Jay Johnson · Michigan State 2020-2023 · him Head coach, them OC, Position
- Mike Tressel · Michigan State 2020 · him Head coach, them Position
- Ross Els · Michigan State 2020-2023 · him Head coach, them Position, ST coord.
- Scottie Hazelton · Michigan State 2020-2023 · him Head coach, them DC
Played together
- Todd Orlando · Wisconsin 1990-1992
- Joe Rudolph · Wisconsin 1991-1994