Mel Tucker likes what he sees from Michigan State's new coaching hires

The Spartans got younger and have some recruiting pop with these new staff additions

After seeing them perform their duties through the first three months of 2022, Michigan State head football coach Mel Tucker has been pleased with the three new coaching hires he made this past offseason.

“We’ll have a better football team coming out of spring ball,” Tucker said. “I can promise you that.”

Defensive line coach Marco Coleman, running backs coach Effrem Reed and pass rush specialist Brandon Jordan have gotten their first chances at on-field coaching at Michigan State these past two weeks during spring practice.

“I feel really good about our staff,” Tucker said. “Everyone’s on the same page, and we know what we need to accomplish and how we go about doing things.”

The staff moves came following the departures of cornerbacks coach Travares Tillman (Georgia Tech), running backs coach William Peagler (Florida) and defensive line coach Ron Burton (Miami, Ohio).

Perhaps no move has paid dividends quicker than the addition of Jordan, who brings years of experience helping many NFL players improve their pass rush abilities. Along with the recruiting boom that he is expected to provide, Jordan is tasked with improving the Spartans’ ability to get after the quarterback at all three levels of the defense.

“Pass rush is important. We need to effect the quarterback with rush and coverage, and I felt like with B. Jordan we had an opportunity to improve our pass rush, and also help us in recruiting,” Tucker said.

“Anyone who rushes the passer, anyone who’s going to be rushing, B. Jordan is going to work with them on that. It could be a corner blitzing off the edge, it could be a safety coming from the roof and timing up and hitting it, it could be a linebacker hitting it, and then obviously with the guys up front.”

Reed, meanwhile, has been on Michigan State’s staff each of the last two seasons as an offensive analyst, primarily working under Peagler. Early this offseason, Reed was hired by Georgia Southern to coach running backs, but after Peagler departed for the University of Florida, Tucker got on the phone and brought Reed back to East Lansing to take over with the Spartans’ running backs.

“I’ve already seen him coach. I know he can coach, that’s why he got the job,” Tucker said of Reed’s promotion.

Finally, Coleman was lured away from his alma mater, Georgia Tech, to coach defensive line at Michigan State. Replacing long-tenure DL coach Ron Burton, Coleman provides the Spartans a key recruiter in the state of Georgia, which has been important recruiting ground for MSU under Tucker.

It’s clear the Tucker had recruiting in mind when he made these coaching hires, but he also likes the energy these young coaches are bringing to the practice field.

“With Marco and Jordan – that’s juice,” Tucker said. “That’s more juice. That’s more intensity. That’s more attention to detail. That’s more being specific. That’s more getting after it, and guys getting together, and ‘Steel sharpens steel’.”

Tucker also said that defensive coordinator Scottie Hazelton will be coaching linebackers this season, taking over that duty from Ross Els, who will solely focus on special teams in 2022. Harlon Barnett continues to coach Michigan State secondary, but Tucker himself will coach the Spartans’ cornerbacks.

“It’s going to be a relentless mindset. The things that we talk about, the things that we harp on in our culture every single day, they do not change,” Tucker said.

“It’s not just the first day, it’s not just the first week, it’s just perpetual motion. It never stops. It just goes on and on. We’re going to hammer the details, the sense of urgency, the discipline, the teamwork, the connection, the accountability – all those things. We’re hammering those things day in and day out.”

Michigan State will conclude spring practice with its annual Green-White game on April 16.