MSU Dipping into NFL Ranks for Next Defensive Line Coach
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Another piece of the Michigan State coaching puzzle has fallen into place.
MSU and new head football coach Pat Fitzgerald are targeting Winston DeLattiboudere III to be the Spartans' next defensive line coach. He is set to leave the same role with the NFL's Arizona Cardinals to coach in East Lansing.
DeLattiboudere's biggest connection to the current Michigan State staff is through co-defensive coordinator and play caller Joe Rossi. They were both at Minnesota together for several seasons. DeLattiboudere played defensive line for the Gophers from 2015 to 2019, while Rossi arrived in 2017 in a quality control role. Rossi then became the interim DC in 2018 and the full-time coordinator in 2019.
The connections didn't stop there, as DeLattiboudere immediately went into coaching after his college career was over. After a few other stops, DeLattiboudere returned to his alma mater in 2023 as the defensive line coach, alongside Rossi. He also had assistant head coach added to his title in 2024, but Rossi had left for MSU at that point.
More on DeLattiboudere
All of DeLattiboudere's other coaching stops are as follows: Charlotte graduate assistant (2020), Oregon graduate assistant (2021), Akron defensive line coach (2022), Minnesota defensive line coach (2023-2024), and Arizona Cardinals defensive line coach (2025).
Something notable is the increase in sacks that Minnesota had while DeLattiboudere was coaching the defensive line. The year before he arrived back in Minneapolis, the Golden Gophers had only had 19 sacks all season. That number shot up to 26 during his first year there and 28 the next. Of that total, 20 and 17.5 were made by defensive linemen, respectively.
DeLattiboudere has also coached one well-known defensive lineman already. According to his bio from the Cardinals, he coached All-American defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux during his year as a grad assistant at Oregon. Thibodeaux ended up becoming the fifth overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft for the New York Giants.
The playing career of DeLattiboudere was also fruitful. After redshirting for a year, he was starting games at times during the next four seasons, with him becoming a full-time starter during his redshirt junior and senior years. He played in 51 total games, making 83 total tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, five sacks, and forcing four fumbles.
This hire is another one on the younger side for Michigan State. DeLattiboudere will turn 28 next month. Linebackers coach and co-DC Max Bullough turns 34 in February. That can have some advantages on the recruiting trail; it's sometimes easier for younger coaches (who have also played) to relate to high school recruits and make them feel more comfortable.
Most of the known hires for MSU are on the defensive side of the ball. There's now DeLattiboudere, Rossi, and Bullough, but there is also the retention of safeties coach James Adams. Fitzgerald has also hired Joel Welsh as strength and conditioning coach and Jacob Schmidt to be the chief of staff.
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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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