Report: DE coach Marco Coleman leaving Michigan State football to return to Georgia Tech
Mel Tucker appears to have at least one coaching vacancy to fill.
Michigan State football defensive line coach Marco Coleman reportedly is leaving to return to his alma mater Georgia Tech, according to a report from rivals.com site JacketsOnline.
A message to MSU was not immediately returned. Tucker said during his news conference for early signing day Dec. 21 that he did not plan to make any changes to his staff this offseason.
“But you know there's always opportunities for guys,” he added. “I'm never gonna try to hold anyone back if they have an opportunity where they think they can better themselves. But I don't plan on making changes at this time.”
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Coleman arrived last February from Georgia Tech to replace longtime assistant Ron Burton, who was at MSU the previous nine seasons under Mark Dantonio and Tucker. The Yellow Jackets made a coaching change in late November in hiring head coach Brent Key, who also played for the program.
A native of Dayton, Ohio, and a 14-year NFL veteran, Coleman coached defensive ends and linebackers at Georgia Tech from 2019-21 under previous head coach Geoff Collins and was on staff alongside Key, who was the Yellow Jackets’ offensive line coach and run game coordinator.
In one season coaching defensive ends at MSU and serving as the Spartans’ “run game coordinator” on defense, Coleman’s group battled significant attrition from almost the outset of the season. Starter Jeff Pietrowski got hurt early in the third game at Washington and key backup Khris Bogle was injured in the fourth game against Minnesota, and both missed the rest of the season. MSU also suspended Jacoby Windmon, Brandon Wright, Zion Young and Itayvion “Tank” Brown for the final four games after the Oct. 29 brawl in the Michigan Stadium tunnel.
Consequently, the Spartans' normally strong run defense struggled all season. The Spartans allowed opposing running backs to top 100 yards in each of the final nine games. Their run defense ranked 102nd out of 131 Football Bowl Subdivision teams by allowing 178.6 yards per game on the ground, the most allowed by an MSU defense since giving up 213.8 yards per game in 2002.
The Spartans did finish 44th in both team sacks (2.42 per game) and tackles for loss (6.3 per game).
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Marco Coleman leaving Michigan State football for Georgia Tech: Report
