3 Potential Names to Watch for Michigan State RBs Coach
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Michigan State is still seeking its next running backs coach.
New head football coach Pat Fitzgerald has seemed to prioritize Big Ten or Midwestern roots throughout most of his hires so far. Life in the Big Ten means you have to be able to run the football, after all.
MSU has not done that well enough lately. The Spartans finished 110th and 108th nationally in rushing offense during the Jonathan Smith era. Former running backs coach Keith Bhonapha has already taken a new job at Cal.
Here are three names who would make a lot of sense to replace him:
James White (Illinois Assistant RBs Coach)
There are only two people who have scored a walk-off touchdown in the Super Bowl: James White is one of them. He capped off the New England Patriots' famous "28-3" comeback in Super Bowl LII, which is one of three Super Bowl rings he owns from his eight seasons with the Pats.
White recently started his own endeavor into coaching and has been the assistant running backs coach at Illinois this year. He would be a relatively inexperienced hire, but White has dealt with the pressure of the Super Bowl several times. He can probably figure out being a running backs coach just fine.
Ladell Betts (New York Giants RBs Coach)
Now let's look all the way up at the NFL. The Giants have already fired Brian Daboll, which means all/most of the assistants could be looking elsewhere soon.
Landell Betts has only been in the pro coaching ranks for one season. If he were to look for a landing zone in college, Michigan State would make some sense for him. He was the running backs coach at Iowa, his alma mater, from 2021-24, where he helped mentor future third-round pick Kaleb Johnson.
Fitzgerald has already looked towards those who have come from Iowa before. He pulled off a big move by hiring special teams coordinator LeVar Woods away from there. He spent a fair amount of time in Iowa City in between his firing at Northwestern and his hiring by MSU.
Fitzgerald's son, Ryan, is a quarterback at Iowa right now.
Tony Alford (Michigan RBs Coach/RGC)
OK, here me out again.
Yes, Tony Alford currently works for "The Dark Side," but he probably won't for much longer. Sherrone Moore has been fired, and who knows what Alford's future is at Michigan. Additionally, Alford has not shown himself to be partial to either particular side of the rivalry beyond who his current employer is --- he left Ohio State voluntarily to go work at UM.
The resume for Alford is quite long. He's also been the running backs coach at Notre Dame, Louisville, Washington, and Iowa State in the past.
Alford would instantly be considered an elite if he did not currently wear an "M" on his chest. Just during his longer stint at OSU, he coached 1,000-yard rushers, Ezekiel Elliott, Tony Weber, J.K. Dobbins, and TreVeyon Henderson.
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A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
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