Joe Rossi expected to be hired as Michigan State’s defensive coordinator
Head coach Jonathan Smith is expected to hire Joe Rossi as Michigan State’s new defensive coordinator, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel. Additionally, Thamel reports that Rossi is expected to receive a three-year deal.
Rossi is currently the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
Earlier this week, sources told Spartans Illustrated that Rossi was a finalist for Michigan State's defensive coordinator job. Sources also said Jimmy Lake, currently with the NFL's Los Angeles Rams, was heavily considered for the job.
Rossi has been the defensive coordinator for Minnesota the past five seasons and has been with the program in some capacity since P.J. Fleck became the Gophers' head coach in 2017. Along with calling the defense, Rossi directly handles positional duties as the linebackers coach. Prior to his tenure with Minnesota, Rossi was the defensive coordinator at Rutgers (2014-2015) after initially joining Kyle Flood’s staff as the special teams coach (2012-2013).
Since 2019, Rossi has coached eight players (Boye Mafe, Esezi Otomewo, Benjamin St-Juste, Antoine Winfield Jr., Kamal Martin, Carter Coughlin, Chris Williamson and Blake Cashman) at Minnesota who have been selected in the NFL Draft. In addition, four players (Kemoko Turay, Sebastian Joseph-Day, Saquan Hampton and Blessuan Austin) he coached at Rutgers were also drafted.
In 2021, Rossi was a nominee for the Broyles Award (presented annually to the best assistant coach in college football) after the Gophers' defense ranked third in the nation in total defense (278.8 yards), tied for sixth in scoring defense (17.3 points) and eighth in the nation in rushing defense (97.5 yards). In 2019, the Gophers ranked tenth in the nation in total defense by allowing only 306.6 yards per game, which was then the program's fewest amount since 1977.
Prior to his stint with Rutgers, Rossi spent five seasons (2007-2011) at Maine, with his first two seasons as the special teams and defensive backs coach, and his last three as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach.
He started his coaching career at Division III Thiel College in 2001, and held various and increasing duties until 2006. Rosie himself played Division III football as a lineman at Allegheny College near his hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Rossi’s defenses do not rely on a specialized system or scheme, instead he will vary fronts and coverages as needed for opponent style, down and distance. Of late, many offenses are characterized as “multiple” schematically. Reflecting that flexibility, defenses such as Rossi’s have become more multidimensional and varied. Primarily he has run a Cover-4 (“quarters," blended man with zone where cornerbacks and safeties are responsible for a quarter of the field) but he has also mixed in Cover-3 (zone defense with corners and safeties protecting the deep thirds of the field). Rossi commonly uses a 4-3 front seven alignment, but will also use a 3-4 in passing downs. The defining aspect of his defenses is to limit explosive plays as much as possible.
Rossi will join a rebuilt Michigan State coaching staff under Smith that includes several former Oregon State coaches, including offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren, offensive line coach and run game coordinator Jim Michalczik, running backs coach Keith Bhonapha, tight ends coach Brian Wozniak, secondary coach Blue Adams and defensive line coach Legi Suiaunoa.
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