Back when Michigan State football was looking for its next head coach in 2023 after firing Mel Tucker, several former players, and a portion of the fanbase, rallied around Harlon Barnett and stood in his corner as the top option to be the Spartans' leader.
Unfortunately, Barnett's interim tenure did not prove enough to anyone to keep him on board and remove the interim tag, making him the program's next head coach.
Alan Haller went in a different direction. He went outside of the program completely, kept some key donors in the dark, and hired Jonathan Smith away from Oregon State.