Michigan State will be forced to vacate 14 wins after the NCAA ruled Wednesday former general manager Saeed Khalif and former assistant coach Brandon Jordan violated recruiting restrictions between 2021 and 2023.
The NCAA also stated former head coach Mel Tucker “took a hands-off approach to compliance and did not promote a culture where staff felt comfortable coming to him with concerns or to report potential violations.”
The ruling concluded Michigan State must vacate wins “in which the ineligible student-athletes participated.” An MSU spokesperson confirmed to Chris Solari of the Detroit Free Press this included every victory taking place between 2022 and 2024.
The spokesman also confirmed to Solari the ineligible players are not with MSU for the 2025-26 season.
Those vacated wins include seven under Tucker and two behind interim coach Harlon Barnett, as well as the program’s first five victories under head coach Jonathan Smith.
Michigan State was also served a variety of other penalties, including a fine and recruiting restrictions, as well as show-cause orders for Khalif, Jordan and Tucker.
Tucker is under a three-year show-cause order restricting him from athletic activities, and will serve out a suspension for 30 percent of the next football season during which he is employed.
Members of the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions noted Tucker “followed an NFL model for his program” by allowing Khalif to control his program’s operations as general manager, and as a result “failed to adequately monitor his program.”
Michigan State will now serve three years of probation, pay out a fine worth 1.5 percent of the football program budget plus $30,000, and experience recruiting and visiting privileges over the next three academic years.
Michigan State president Kevin M. Guskiewicz and director of athletics J Batt said in a statement the NCAA had minimized penalties based on MSU’s self-disclosure and cooperation, but expressed disappointment in the decision to vacate the program’s wins.
“While we accept the NCAA’s findings and respect the process, we are disappointed in the prescribed penalty related to the vacation of records,” Guskiewicz and Batt wrote. “We understand that the enforcement process follows established guidelines, but we also recognize the opportunity for continued modernization.”
NCAA bylaws prohibits providing transportation for prospects or travel companions on an unofficial visit outside of rides to local facilities, and limits travel expenses for enrollment to picking prospects up at the nearest train station or airport.
According to the NCAA, MSU’s recruiting violations involved airfare and hotel lodging provided to prospects and their travel companions for unofficial visits and enrollment.
The NCAA reported that Khalif, Jordan and other staff members had spent approximately $10,764 on “impermissible recruiting inducements” to six prospects making unofficial visits, and that Khalif spent another $3,075 on flying in three prospects to enroll at MSU.
Those three prospects then competed in 26 games for the Spartans, according to the NCAA. Michigan State went 14-22 over that span.
MSU is currently on a six-game losing streak in the program’s second season under Smith. The Spartans are set to return to action Saturday with a home game against Penn State.