EXCLUSIVE: Talented MSU LB Prospect Discusses Joe Rossi

Michigan State recently offered 2026 linebacker Mason Marden out of Saint Louis, Missouri's Ladue Horton Watkins. He is a three-star linebacker per 247Sports, which has rated him the No. 59 linebacker in the class and the ninth-best prospect in Missouri.

Defensive coordinator/Linebackers Coach Joe Rossi is very particular about his off-ball linebackers; crucial to any defense, Rossi asks more of the position than most. He wants long, athletic run-stoppers who can tackle downhill. Simultaneously, he asks them to be comfortable and excellent in pass coverage -- typical of the modern game.

Marden is 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds; heading into his senior season, those measurables leave a lot to like for the Green and White. When I reached out to Marden, he said he had just spoken to Rossi earlier in the day. The connection is developing.

"What stood out to me most [about Rossi] is like how transparent he was," Marden said. "Some coaches, they don't give it to you straight, they just kind of tell you what you wanna hear and say all the good things about you and stuff, but I really enjoyed how he was very transparent. Told me that when I get down there, he's going to break me down and tell me the things that I need to continue to work on. How they want to develop me into their scheme and any questions I had he was very open to -- what type of coach he was, the culture of the football team and their strength and nutritionist staff. So, he was very open about all that type of stuff."

Rossi wasn't the original coach to reach out to Marden. Spartans assistant linebackers coach Andrew Bindelglass extended the offer and that is where the contact began for Marden and Michigan State.

"They first originally reached out to me and told me that they were interested, just gotten to watch my film and they wanted to give me a chance to get down to the campus," Marden said. "They sent me a couple dates and gave me a couple quick questions just to get to know me a bit."

Expect the Spartans to recruit Marden like a top priority going forward; his potential meets everything they want in a linebacker.

Michael France is Sports Illustrated's Michigan State recruiting beat writer, covering all things Big Ten recruiting for Spartan Nation. Be sure to follow him on Twitter/X@michaelfrancesi for exclusive Spartans recruiting coverage.

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