Spring practice is right around the corner for Michigan State football as the new coaching staff gears up to help prepare their team for the upcoming season.

Just about two weeks out of the first day of spring practice (March 19), MSU defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Joe Rossi met with the media to discuss what drew him to the Spartans' program, his philosophies, his coaching journey and more.

Rossi spent six years (2018 through 2023) as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Minnesota. While he said departing P.J. Fleck's program was a tough decision, Rossi explained why he ultimately made the decision to leave that role to join head coach Jonathan Smith's staff in East Lansing.

"Two things about Michigan State, number one, I think it can be special," Rossi said. "They've been in the College Football Playoff and it has been recent and have won conference championships. So I think that is the first thing. The second thing is everything I heard about Coach Smith, we have not worked together before, but everything I have heard about him from other college coaches, from NFL scouts, from people in the profession, was that you could not work for a better guy. Getting to know him through the process, I felt that. It was kind of what my gut said and then being here for two-and-a-half months, it held true."

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In terms of his defensive philosophy, Smith said he has been able to take bits and pieces of information from each place he has been, all the way back to 2001 when he started at Thiel College (a Division III school in Pennsylvania) up until now to help build what he values as a defensive coordinator and how he wants his teams to play.

"My first coaching job was at Thiel College, and my defensive coordinator had taken the head coaching job," Rossi said. "We don't run the schemes that we ran back then. But how we do it, how we implement it, how we teach it, the value of fundamentals, playing hard, running to the ball , keeping the ball in front, those things were from that whole journey. Then going to the University of Maine, those guys just kind of build it and then all of the people that you come into contact with over the years, whether it's on another staff or you work with, it all kind of comes together. "

The Spartans are coming off a largely underwhelming season on the defensive side of the ball in 2023, allowing 388.8 yards per game, which ranked 76th in college football.

Rossi said to help build success on that side of the ball, he wants his players to buy into a few different concepts that are important in being a good defense in his view.

"The thing that I would tell you for us that we value is three things," Rossi said. "We have to be able to stop the run. You talk about having success in the Big Ten, it comes down to being able to stop the run, especially later in the year. So that's number one. Number two is eliminate explosive plays, which we kind of touched on (earlier). Number three is creating takeaways, I think the best defenses are able to create takeaways. That being said, those three things, there are a lot of things that go into that and being able to do those three things. Number one is being able to play really, really hard. The best defenses that I have been around over the years played really, really hard."

Rossi was asked if there is a need to remove bad habits from the returning players on the Michigan State defense, but he said he doesn't necessarily look at it that way.

"In terms of when we come in, we communicate what we are looking for and then we are going to hold them to that standard," Rossi explained. "Whether that's a 'bad habit' or something that hasn't been coached or something that has been coached, to me it doesn't matter. It's more, 'This is what we're looking for, this is what it looks like.' I'm a big believer in communicating what you want it to look like, show evidence of what visually you told them and now you're going to visually show it to them and then hold them accountable to it.

"Holding accountable does not mean it's negative, it means that you are working toward the standard of what it needs to look like. When it doesn't look that way, communicate what it needs to look like. I don't see it as breaking bad habits or stripping down. I just see it as, 'Here's what we want it to look like, let's get it there.'"

While Rossi said he is still getting a feel for who will step up as leaders on the 2024 MSU defense, he did mention senior linebacker Cal Haladay, who will be in his fifth year in East Lansing in 2024, as someone with a lot of experience who could potentially help lead.

"We're still feeling it out, still learning guys, I mentioned him (Haladay) because he's in my room," Rossi said when asked about emerging leaders on the team. "I coach the linebackers and I know he's played a lot of games. They're in strength and conditioning and they are able to do some drills and we are getting into spring practice. We're still kind of sorting that out. I like the group, I will tell you they are eager and they are willing. As a coach, any time you have a group like that, it is exciting."

Rossi added he has enjoyed being able to get to know some of the defensive staff and has noticed Coach Smith has surrounded himself with high level individuals.

"I think a couple things (stand out), like Coach Legi (Suiaunoa) and Coach Blue Adams, those guys worked for Coach Smith and the thing that has really stuck out to me is he has top-notch people around him," Rossi said. "I got a chance to see that just quickly. Anyone he brought with him, I have been impressed with, those guys have been great, they have great experience, great football knowledge, they're great humans. So it's been awesome to work with them.

"We made some other hires, Demetrice Martin, who's an alum and has a great resume, and Chad Wilt who I have been with before, so there's some common ground there. It's been really good because at the end of the day they are really good coaches and really good people."

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