REPORT: Michigan State football adding to defensive coaching staff
According to multiple reports, Mel Tucker and Michigan State are set to hire Georgia Tech defensive line coach Marco Coleman for the same position with the Spartans.
Coleman, who played his college football at Georgia Tech, was a first round draft pick of the Miami Dolphins in the 1992 NFL Draft. He won NFL Rookie of the Year that season, and played 14 professional seasons with six different NFL franchises. Coleman was named to the 2000 Pro Bowl as a member of the Washington Redskins. He accumulated 610 tackles, 65.5 tackles for loss and 18 sacks in his career.
Retiring following the 2005 season, Coleman returned to the NFL as a defensive line coach with the Oakland Raiders in 2018. The 52-year-old then returned to his alma mater to coach D-line in 2019, and has spent the last three seasons with the Yellow Jackets.
The recruiting implications could be significant for Michigan State, as Mel Tucker has made the state of Georgia a priority for the Spartans. As a native of Ohio, Coleman could make an impact on a state that was prioritized by former head coach Mark Dantonio as well. Following his playing career, Coleman coach high school football in the state of Florida, so it's fair to assume he has some connections in the Sunshine State as well.
Should this hiring be finalized, it will be an impressive feat for Tucker to lure Coleman away from his alma mater. Coleman is in Georgia Tech's Athletic Hall of Fame and was the program's all-time sack and tackles leader when he departed the program.
Michigan State's defensive line coach position came open following the departure of nine-year D-line coach Ron Burton, who announced his intentions to leave East Lansing on Jan. 16.
