The Impact of Michigan State Hiring RBs Coach Devon Spalding
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Michigan State's new assistant coaching staff is filling up.
New head football coach Pat Fitzgerald has gotten his guys into place ahead of the transfer portal officially opening on Friday. On Monday, Spartan Nation confirmed that MSU would be hiring Wisconsin running backs coach Devon Spalding to the same role with the Spartans.
This will be Spalding's third stop as a position coach in his young career. After starting as a grad assistant at Cincinnati, he got the RBs job at Youngstown State, where he helped develop NFLer and the NCAA's all-time leading rusher, Jaleel McLaughlin. Spalding then went to Wisconsin, where he has coached Braelon Allen and has proven himself to be a good recruiter.
On this episode of the Michigan State Spartans Insider Podcast, let's talk about the impact Spalding's hiring will have on MSU moving forward, along with some overall thoughts on the staff Fitzgerald has put together in East Lansing. Video of the entire episode can be viewed below, as is more written analysis of the hiring and the staff.
Watch the MSU Spartans Insider Podcast here:
Written Analysis
Spalding's Time at Wisconsin
It's always a big deal to get a coach to make a lateral move from within one's own conference. Spalding is from Canton, Mich., and played football himself at Central Michigan, which may have helped.
Another contributing factor is that Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell is one coach who is on the hot seat. He got retained for 2026, but another season of 5-7 or 4-8 (the Badgers' last two campaigns) would likely be enough for Wisconsin to move on. Spalding jumping to a staff that is in the honeymoon phase with fans and administration could be very beneficial in that way.
Personally, Spalding's track record at Wisconsin does not 'wow' me very much. He did coach Allen there, seeing him rush for 984 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2023, but that was actually Allen's worst season at Wisconsin. He had rushed for 1,268 yards as a freshman in '21, then 1,242 yards in '22, which was before Spalding arrived in Madison.
The Badgers' starter next year, Tawee Walker, was a transfer addition from Oklahoma. This time, Spalding gave someone a boost; Walker rushed for 864 yards and 10 scores in 2024. He then transferred again to Cincinnati, where he hasn't gotten as many touches, but he's averaging 5.9 yards per carry, compared to the 4.5 YPC from his lone year at Wisconsin.
This past season was particularly bad. The Badgers' rushing attack is 115th nationally. Their leading rusher, Darrion Dupree, finished with only 363 yards.
Not all of the blame there falls to Spalding, though. Wisconsin's offensive line has not done the Badgers many favors. Pro Football Focus gives the Badgers' unit the third-worst run-blocking grade in the Big Ten this season.
What also definitely did not help was that starting quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. was out nearly the entire season. The Badgers had zero reliable options behind him --- three other backups combined for nine touchdown passes and 13 interceptions.
With no serious threat at quarterback, defenses were able to devote tons of resources to stopping the run, especially since the Badgers ended up running it about 60% of the time this season (272 pass attempts, 413 rushes). That resulted in Wisconsin rushing for a Big Ten-worst 3.3 yards per carry.
Recruiting
What stands out the most for Spalding is his ability to recruit. He has been able to land two four-star running backs from the high school level during his three years with Wisconsin, both of whom were a part of the Badgers' 2024 recruiting class.
Spalding's biggest recruiting win was getting Dilin Jones, who was the second-highest-rated player in Wisconsin's '24 class at 136th overall, going off the Rivals Industry Comparison. Spalding is listed as Jones' secondary recruiter on 247Sports. Jones, who is from Maryland, had offers from Penn State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oregon, and multiple other high-profile schools.
He's now entering the transfer portal after his redshirt freshman year, where he was Wisconsin's top running back for seven games before getting hurt. That may be something to keep an eye on for Michigan State, since running back is a need for the Spartans, who are losing their top two backs from this season.
Spalding is also listed as the primary recruiter of Dupree, who received four-star status from Rivals and a three-star mark from On3, 247Sports, and ESPN. He is not in the portal, though his stepfather, Ivory McCoy, played for Michigan State under Nick Saban and Bobby Williams.
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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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