Former MSU commentator implies he was let go after son committed to Michigan

Kaden Strayhorn, the son of former Michigan State team captain and first-team All-Big Ten lineman Jason Strayhorn, committed to play football for the Michigan Wolverines last year.

The elder Strayhorn’s 19-year run as a member of the Michigan State Spartans football radio team ended this past summer.

According to Jason Strayhorn, those two things are likely connected.

Strayhorn, who joined the Michigan State radio broadcast team in 2006 and became its full-time color commentator in 2013, reportedly received a notice of non-renewal of his contract from Michigan State Sports Properties in May. Spartans Illustrated first reported in July that Strayhorn would be replaced in the booth by MSU running back Jehuu Caulcrick.

“I’m surprised and disappointed,” Blaha told Spartans Illustrated. “Jason will be a tough act to follow after all our years together.”

Saturday, No. 24 Michigan will visit Spartan Stadium to play Big Ten rival Michigan State. Jason had long been looking forward to calling a game involving his son, though he certainly never expected to do so with Kaden wearing maize and blue.

“It is interesting because (Kaden) and all my kids grew up wearing green and white,” Jason Strayhorn told the Detroit Free Press. “In fact, they were learning their colors before elementary and they’d get to red, yellow, whatever and then it was ‘go green’. It would always be called ‘go green.’ So, no, did not see it coming.”

According to Kaden, he had an offer from former MSU head coach Mel Tucker. After he was fired, the new head coach, Jonathan Smith, said he wanted to follow through on that offer, but it never materialized. Instead, he took official visits to Michigan and Ohio State, ultimately committing to play for the Wolverines.

As for why his time in the radio booth ended, Jason told the Free Press he didn’t receive much explanation and that “for whatever reason, some non-football people” made the decision.

However, he strongly implied that his son’s decision to play for UM rather than MSU was a factor, if not the driving factor.

“This is something, I guess, we’re going to discuss at a later date,” he said. “But there’s been no other reason besides that given. No, (it was not directly expressed) but indirectly. The facts will come out. … I know it to be that, but we have not proven it just yet.”

If so, that’d be quite the odd move for a school to make against one of its all-time great players and a dedicated alum. So strong are Strayhorn’s loyalties to the school that, even after losing his job without much explanation, he still won’t be able to root against the Spartans on Saturday, even if his son is on the other sideline.

“Wearing maize and blue is not natural for me,” Strayhorn, who hosts a Michigan State podcast alongside Sedrick Irvin, said. “I don’t see myself walking into Spartan Stadium with that. … I would like him specifically to do well if he gets in the game, but I could never root against my Spartans.”