Ross Els Talks Michigan State Special Teams Philosophy

Ross Els is the new Michigan State Spartan football special teams coordinator, explain his philosophy and how it melds with Mel Tucker.

East Lansing, MI— Mel Tucker’s resume reads like a who’s who of football success. He has been with the best and understands that the elite programs have a particular commitment to be exceptional on special teams. So when he hired Ross Els to take on the job, it said a lot of the trust he has in him.

Els discussed how his focus with who plays on special teams is in agreement with Tucker. He also gave Spartan fans a look ahead to what they can expect to see next season.

“One of the great things about working for a guy like Mel Tucker is he understands the importance of special teams. Working with him for the year I did at Colorado, he’s never said ‘don’t use this guy.’ Now we’re going to use common sense on offense, defense, and special teams to make sure that they’re not overplayed, but that doesn’t mean special teams will take the backseat. To answer your question, everybody is up for grabs; everybody’s going to be available, we made that very clear to the team, both the head coach and myself. It gives them an opportunity to continue to do some of the skills that they do at their position. If they’re a wide receiver that blocks, they’re going to block on the kickoff return. If they’re a running back that runs, they’re going to run the football. It also helps their resume because everybody in the NFL, if you’re a specialist, you are going to play on special teams. Everybody’s up for grabs, we’ll be smart about it and not overuse people, but we get the best that are available.”

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