Michigan State football: Defensive line coach Marco Coleman completes Mel Tucker's staff

Mel Tucker’s Michigan State football staff once again is complete.

The Spartans announced the hiring of Marco Coleman as their new defensive line coach. The 52-year-old former NFL player replaces Ron Burton, a holdover from Mark Dantonio’s staff who had been at MSU since 2013 before leaving the program last month.

“Coach Marco Coleman brings years of college and NFL experience to East Lansing,” Tucker in a statement Wednesday. “We’re extremely excited for him to join our family and he is going to help shape future champions.”

[ Michigan State vs. Western Michigan opener moved to Friday night, Sept. 2 ]

Coleman arrives from his alma mater Georgia Tech, where the Dayton, Ohio, native was a two-time All-American defensive end and left as the school's career sack leader. He was a first-round pick of the Dolphins in 1992, became a Pro Bowl selection in 2000 and played 14 seasons in the NFL with Miami, San Diego, Washington, Jacksonville, Philadelphia and Denver.

After ending his playing career in 2005, Coleman went into finance and also served as pregame and postgame radio analyst from 2009-14 with Jacksonville. Tucker was defensive coordinator with the Jaguars from 2009-12 and spent the final five games of 2011 as interim head coach.

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Coleman got into coaching in 2017 as a coaching fellow with the Eagles and defensive coordinator at Mandarin High in Jacksonville, then in 2018 became the Oakland Raiders' assistant defensive line coach before returning to Georgia Tech in 2019 to coach defensive ends and outside linebackers.

That makes three new coaches on Tucker’s staff from last season’s 11-2 Peach Bowl champion team that finished No. 8 in the country. Effrem Reed takes over as running backs coach for William Peagler, who left to coach tight ends at Florida, and Brandon Jordan takes the spot vacated by Travares Tillman, who left the Spartans to return to Georgia Tech — also his alma mater — as cornerbacks coach for the Yellow Jackets.

Jordan will be MSU’s pass-rush specialist and work alongside Coleman, who also received the title of “run game coordinator” for the defense.

In nine seasons, Burton’s run-stuffing defensive lines helped MSU lead the Big Ten in run defense four times (2013, 2014, 2017, 2018). The Spartans led the nation twice under him in 2015 at 88.5 rushing yards allowed and in 2018 at 77.9 yards, and they ranked No. 2 in the country twice in 2014 at 88.6 yards and 2017 at 95.3.

In 2021, MSU tied for seventh in the Football Bowl Subdivision at 43 sacks and tied for fourth at 3.31 per game. The Spartans also ranked 15th nationally in run defense (117.2 yards allowed).

Georgia Tech finished 100th in rushing defense, allowing 182.2 yards per game, and ranked 98th in sacks at 1.67 per game. The Yellow Jackets did finish 16th in fumbles recovered at 16.

Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari. Read more on the Michigan State Spartans and sign up for our Spartans newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State football: DL coach Marco Coleman completes staff