Wow...pretty crazy 48 hours for me.
First off, I trip into one of the biggest stories in Michigan while innocently covering the Lowell girls basketball game for FOX 17. I get a tip that Nichol is there rooting on the girls squad, and I somehow get a one-on-one with him in the hallway after the game. He blows me away by telling me that he is fully committed to MSU and is taking the OU visit more as a fact-finding courtesy visit. FOX 17 takes off with this story, and Bakita plays my full interview w/ Keith Wednesday morning "On The Bench", which is the morning sports-talk show that I produce.
Then the egg comes flying onto my face. Dantonio announces that he will not retain Dave Enos as the quarterbacks coach as MSU. Nichol gets blown away by the OU pitch. And just like they have all season, Spartan fans are left scratching their heads, wondering what the hell happened.
Well this morning I got Paul Konyndyk, who broke the story for Spartan Mag, and Noel Dean (who accompanied Keith Nichol to OU), to come on to the show with Bakita and shed some light on the subject. Here is a summary of what they had to say:
First up was Paul, who is extremely close to the Nichol family and Keith. He got the call from Gary Nichol last night when the news broke of Keith's decomitment. Paul said the decision was based on a couple components-
1.) The announcement that Dan Enos would not be retained was a serious blow, since he was the coach that Keith was closest too on the current staff and was really the last recognizable face left around town since Dantonio moved in. It was thought that Mark D. would keep Enos on staff b/c of their previous relationship at Cincinnati, but that has proved not to be the case.
2.) The loss of Enos was a kicker especially since Keith had already lost the man who originally recruited him, current St. Louis Rams quarterbacks coach Doug Nussmeier. Paul said that when Coach Nuss left that it "ripped Keith's heart out". Fortunately for State, Enos (who recruited Keith to come to Cincy) showed up and gained the kid's trust. Now Nichol lost his second quarterbacks coach since his recruitment, and has no connection with anyone on Dantonio's staff.
3.) The Oklahoma situation is far superior to that of MSU, and Bob Stoops and his crew were able to convince Keith of this. Paul said that even the most diehard of State fans can realize that especially right now, OU is head and shoulders above them as a program. Also, with Rhett Bomar being kicked off the team, there is a distinct possibility for Keith to contribute right away. At MSU he'd be probably be sitting two years behind Hoyer, suffering through a reclamation project. OU is a program that is expected to be a part of the BCS mix every year. When you stack the two schools against each other, the OU situation is better for a variety of reasons.
I was also able to catch up with Keith's high school football coach, Noel Dean, as he was stuck in the Oklahoma City airport waiting for a flight that could get them back to snowy West Michigan. When he came on the show Coach was candid about the trip and made a couple of interesting points-
1.) Coach Dean reiterated that the loss of both quarterback coaches was a big factor. He also said State fans should give thanks for Tom Izzo. He said that Izzo's visit to the Lowell-Muskegon game and his contact with Keith was the real reason that Nichol was still hanging on to MSU.
2.) Coach also talked a little more in-depth about the pitch OU made. The opportunity is just plain better. He said quote: "...right now there is not a better opportunity in the nation for a true freshmen quarterback".
3.) One thing that Coach Dean brought up that Paul didn't touch too much on was the administration's contact with Keith. After John L. was fired, Coach said there really wasn't anyone looking out for Keith at MSU (and he admitted that it was b/c they are a big institution and didn't have to time), but that during that time period of a coaching search, doubts about his future with the program started to creep into Keith's head. And then came OU knocking at the door. Coach went on to say that if MSU wasn't currently concerned with Nichol, then "...so why shouldn't Keith take some consideration for himself?" He made the point that Keith was not actively looking to get out of his commitment, but he had to listen to Stoops and take the OU visit.
Both Paul and Coach Dean stated that when Keith got on the plane, he considered himself a solid MSU verbal and had no intention of flipping his position. Most of us have no idea what it's like to be recruited to play a sport in college, let alone by one of the top programs in the country. Keith Nichol is just a 17-year old kid trying to make the best choice for himself. The choice wasn't easy, but you have to give the guy credit for having the courage to make a switch to a situation that he feels will be the best for him and his future; no matter what that means for Sparty.
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