Mel Tucker on contract extension chatter: "It was never my intention to come here and just pass through"

After our own John Brice shared news last Friday of Michigan State working to lock in Mel Tucker with a new contract, and stave off interest from LSU, some reports surfaced yesterday of just how serious of a financial commitment was in the works.

A 10-year deal worth a reported $95 million is in the works that would make him the highest paid coach in the Big Ten, according to multiple reports yesterday

In his first public comments regarding the contract extension chatter on a podcast with Spartan basketball legend and current NBA star Draymond Green, Tucker was asked about the reports.

"I came here, and I made it clear in my initial press conference that I thought Michigan State was a destination job and not a stepping stone," Tucker leads off stating.

"Obviously, I have Big Ten roots. I played at Wisconsin. I'm from Cleveland, Ohio and my parents are three hours and fifteen minutes away. My wife is from Chicago. I know the Big Ten landscape and this is where I started my career in 1997 as a graduate assistant for Nick Saban, so Michigan State is a special place to me."

"It was never my intention to come here and just pass through. I believe that we are building something special here and I have had tremendous support here to do that, and we are on the right track."

Michigan State's game against #4 Ohio State is College GameDay's destination for this weekend in a game that has some huge implications for not only the Big Ten, but also for the national title race, as Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines also remain on the Buckeyes schedule.

Hear Tucker's full comments in the clip.