It was reported Friday, Sept. 29 that Jake Dickert, WSU football’s head coach, is a top candidate in Michigan State’s head coaching search, by Bruce Feldman of The Athletic. 

The position is open following MSU’s written notice provided to currently suspended head coach Mel Tucker of its intention to terminate his current 10-year, $95 million contract. 

In Feldman’s list of potential candidates, Dickert was in the top two along with Kansas Jayhawks head coach Lance Leipold. Dickert was asked about the report in his weekly Monday press conference.

“You’re gonna get the same answer from me every time. These are the things that come with team success. We wouldn’t be talking about these things if we were 2-2, we wouldn’t be talking about these things if we were 0-4,” Dickert said. “I love my job. I love being here. We’re focused on right here, right now, not on the past, not on the future.” 

Dickert’s passion for the WSU football program and WSU as a whole is clear, as he opened the press conference giving Wazzu volleyball a shoutout on their freshly secured win over the Oregon schools and subsequent No. 4 ranking.

He has also stated multiple times over his tenure how much the fans mean and how special WSU is. The real question, however, is not whether or not WSU is a good place to be, but whether MSU is better.

With the destruction of the Pac-12 and the current numbers on paper, Dickert would almost certainly receive a pay raise to lead the Spartans. But still, he has not engaged in those talks as of yet, Dickert said.

“I’ve not talked to any university out there and we’re focused on right here, right now and what we’re gonna do with this team,” Dickert said.

The more the Cougs win, the better Dickert will look as a candidate, not just to MSU, but to any school with a head coaching opening that can afford to raise Dickert’s salary. 

For any worried Coug fans, there are positives and negatives. The positives are like Dickert said: his being mentioned in these conversations is a sign of team success, and is proof of his standing as a nationally respected head coach. 

The negatives are that these things usually don’t pop up for no reason. Although Dickert may not have talked to any schools, that does not mean they are not actually interested. And the better the Cougs do, the bigger the number on the check becomes, which could conceivably make the positions more and more convincing.

In the midst of this, there is one truly key message to send to fans everywhere: do not take this as a sign of disloyalty or a captain looking to abandon ship in the midst of a sinking conference. Rather, take it as a sign of respect for a coach who deserves it and continues to earn it each week.