Tag: michigan state defensive coordinator

Michigan State football to hire Minnesota DC Joe Rossi to same position

Michigan State has their next defensive coordinator, poaching Minnesota DC Joe Rossi:

New Michigan State football Jonathan Smith was tasked with hiring the next defensive coordinator for the program. This defensive coordinator is going to have a great deal of autonomy over the defense.

Smith has found his man: Joe Rossi, who has spent the past five seasons as the Minnesota Golden Gophers defensive coordinator and linebackers coach.

Rossi’s resume:

2001–2002 Thiel (AST)
2003–2006 Thiel (DC/LB)
2007–2008 Maine (SPT/DB)
2009–2011 Maine (DC/LB)
2012–2013 Rutgers (SPT)
2014–2015 Rutgers (DC/SAF)
2017 Minnesota (QC)
2018 Minnesota (DL)
2018 Minnesota (Interim DC/LB)
2019–present Minnesota (DC/LB)

This is regarded as a huge hire for Michigan State and one Spartan fans should be excited about.

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Cory Linsner on Twitter @Cory_Linsner.

Michigan State football: Five defensive coordinator options as hire nears

Five candidates for the Michigan State defensive coordinator job as the hire looms near:

Just as Alan Haller’s search for a new football coach was tight lipped, Jonathan Smith’s search for a defensive coordinator has been very hush hush and close to the vest.

The clock is ticking for Smith to make a hire because the transfer portal is going crazy and the early signing period is less than two weeks away.

Naturally, the list of defensive coordinator candidates has shrunk, and Smith is homing in on specific candidates as he will looks to lock-in his defensive staff as the big recruiting month rolls along.

Let’s take a look, based on some educated guessing and intel from sourcing Spartans Wire has obtained, at which five candidates could be on Smith’s shortlist:

Ten Potential candidates to be the next defensive coordinator of Michigan State football

10 possible candidates that can be the next defensive coordinator at Michigan State

With the hiring of Jonathan Smith as Michigan State’s next head football coach, it also means that there will be a new staff coming to East Lansing. While Smith has already gotten a huge jump on hiring his staff, click here to view who has been hired by Smith so far, he has yet to announce who will be serving as the defensive coordinator for his staff.

Smith had two defensive coordinators throughout his tenure at Oregon State, so there are several options and possibilities for Smith to explore.

Let’s take a look at some of the potential candidates that could potentially be in the mix for MSU’s defensive coordinator position: