Defensive Coordinator Hot Board: Perusing potential candidates for Jonathan Smith and Michigan State
East Lansing, Mich. – Michigan State head football coach Jonathan Smith will close out his first week on the job a few slots away from filling his assistant coaching staff. Defensive coordinator is the most noteworthy remaining vacancy.
SpartanMag doesn’t have strong unnamed source insight into Smith’s search, the way we did during the head coaching search. Only the Spartan head man knows which direction the process is heading.
But, mostly for entertainment purposes, along with a shred of educated guesses and – in some cases – a little bit of insider buzz, we offer our unofficial SpartanMag Hot Board of potential candidates for the Michigan State defensive coordinator job. The eventual choice may be a name not mentioned on this board, but in the meantime, the following is a list of interesting candidates, some of whom are likely to have at least come across Smith’s desk in recent days:
PHIL PARKER, DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR, IOWA
Phil Parker, who was an All-Big Ten safety at Michigan State from 1982-85, has been arguably the best defensive coordinator in college football since taking that position at Iowa in 2012.
Parker served as defensive backs coach at Iowa from 1999-2011, under the great defensive coordinator, Norm Parker. Norm Parker was a former Michigan State assistant coach under George Perles.
The Parkers (unrelated) were practitioners of many Perles staples, including a hard-hitting, cover-two zone, and physical, two-gapping defensive fronts.
Phil Parker, 60, changed with the times and, like most coordinators, morphed from a 4-3 to a 4-2-5 in recent years, but with strong physicality at the nickel position and penchant for sturdy zone defenses on first and second down. And Iowa can go old school, slobber-knocking 4-3 all day if the offense wants to employ 12 personnel.
Parker’s players know the scheme; know the opponent; defeat blocks; make no false steps; take fast, smart angles; tackle like grappling hooks; and fool quarterbacks on a weekly basis with fast-closing windows. The Hawkeyes have ranked among the nation’s leaders in forcing turnovers forever.
A big variable in his potential candidacy is whether Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz is planning to retire. And if so, how soon will an announcement come? If Ferentz stays on, the chances of Michigan State landing Parker plummet.
There have been hints that Ferentz might be near the end in Iowa City. In the last half of the season, he has been unusually emotional after games. Ferentz led Iowa to a 10-2 record in the regular season but suffered through the indignity of seeing his son, outgoing offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz, basically fired by Kirk’s superiors.
With the Big Ten’s new balanced schedule about to make things much harder for Iowa football, the time might be right for Ferentz to step down and invite anyone to try to match what he’s done in Iowa City. And if so, timing could be good for Smith to make a move to bring Parker back to his alma mater.
Smith was hired at MSU on Saturday, and spent the week meeting members of the current roster, recruiting, and assembling his staff. Smith is bringing his offensive coordinator (Brian Lindgren), running backs coach (Keith Bhonapha), offensive line coach (Jim Michalczik), defensive backs coach (Blue Adams), tight ends coach (Brian Wozniak) and defensive line coach (Legi Suiaunoa) with him from Oregon State.
Smith has yet to settle on a wide receivers coach, although Michigan State’s Courtney Hawkins has interviewed for the position and is under strong consideration, according to a source.
Former interim head coach Harlon Barnett has also interviewed and is under strong consideration, according to a source. Barnett is presumably a candidate for a job coaching safeties or cornerbacks.
At Oregon State, under Smith, Trent Bray served as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. Bray announced on Tuesday that he is staying at Oregon State as the Beavers’ new head coach. Smith’s former cornerbacks coach, wide receivers coach and special teams coach are staying with the Beavers.
At Iowa, Parker serves as defensive coordinator and secondary coach. If Parker were to come aboard at Michigan State, Parker would likely gravitate toward continuing to assist in the secondary.
With Adams already on board overseeing the secondary, it might be hard to find room for Parker and Barnett on the same coaching staff. Barnett indicated to current Spartan players last weekend that he has been invited to stay in the program, with a role still to be determined. Barnett reiterated those sentiments to some players midway through the week. An on-field role seems most likely. But theoretically, an off-field role can’t be ruled out, especially if Parker comes into play.
Meanwhile, a linebackers coach is needed, as well as a special teams coordinator. Neither Barnett nor Parker has coached linebackers at the college level.
As for Parker, there are whispers and buzz in the industry that Michigan State and Parker have had initial talks.
The combination of Smith as head coach, overseeing the direction and physicality of the offense, paired with Parker on defense, would send Spartan fans into backflips, and would give Michigan State immediate credibility as a heavyweight menace-in-the-making.
JIMMY LAKE, ASSISTANT HEAD COACH, L.A. RAMS
Jimmy Lake and Smith were assistants together while coaching at the University of Washington from 2014-17.
Lake was defensive backs coach at Washington from 2014-15 and co-defensive coordinator for the Huskies from 2016-17. Smith served as offensive coordinator during those four years.
Lake became sole defensive coordinator at Washington from 2018-19 and then took over as head coach of the Huskies in 2020-21.
Lake coached the Huskies to a 3-1 record during the COVID-shortened season of 2020, and was fired in 2021 after starting the season with a 4-5 record. He slapped a Washington player in the helmet while breaking up a trash-talking spat between that player and an Oregon player during a game in 2021, which led to his firing.
In his first year calling the plays as defensive coordinator at Washington in 2018, Lake fielded the top defense in the Pac-12. Washington led the conference in points allowed per game (15.5) and total defense (301.8 yards per game). The Huskies also ranked second in the Pac-12 in rushing defense, passing yards allowed, and pass efficiency.
MIKE TRESSEL, DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR, WISCONSIN
Mike Tressel, a former Michigan State assistant coach and defensive coordinator, is in his first year as DC at Wisconsin.
The Badgers ranked No. 8 in the Big Ten in yards allowed per play (4.9) and yards allowed per game (336) in 2023 while going 7-5 in the first year of the Luke Fickell era.
Tressel was an assistant coach at Michigan State from 2007-2020. He was linebackers coach and special teams coordinator from 2007-14.
From 2015-17, he shared co-defensive coordinator duties with Barnett under Mark Dantonio. Tressel called the defensive plays during those three seasons, including the 2015 College Football Playoff season.
After Barnett left to become sole defensive coordinator at Florida State in 2018, Tressel was elevated to sole DC at Michigan State for the 2018-19 seasons.
When Mel Tucker replaced the retired Dantonio as head coach in 2020, Tressel stayed on for one year as safeties coach of the Spartans before leaving to become defensive coordinator for Fickell at the University of Cincinnati in 2020.
Tressel served as DC for Cincinnati for two ultra-successful years. In 2022, Tressel was named AFCA Assistant Coach of the Year as the Bearcats ranked No. 5 in the nation in yards allowed per play (4.52).
In 2021, Cincinnati ranked No. 4 in the nation in yards allowed per play, No. 5 in scoring defense, No. 10 in scoring defense and No. 1 in pass efficiency defense for a Bearcats team that went 13-1 and advanced to the College Football Playoff.
There were whispers in the industry at mid-season this year that Tressel would entertain the idea of returning to Michigan State in some capacity. However, he has had a strong, successful relationship with Fickell in recent years and it would probably take some rosy circumstances to pry him loose.
JIM LEONHARD, SENIOR ANALYST, ILLINOIS
Jim Leonhard might be college football’s most decorated former coordinator who currently doesn’t have an on-field position. But that should change soon, somewhere.
Leonhard, 41, spent this season as an analyst at Illinois, under Bret Bielema.
After a 10-year career as a player in the NFL, Leonhard spent one year as defensive backs coach at Wisconsin before being elevated quickly to defensive coordinator of the Badgers in 2017 under Paul Chryst. Smith counts Chryst as one of his early mentors.
Leonard spent six seasons as Wisconsin’s defensive coordinator from 2017-22. In four of Leonhard’s first five seasons as DC at Wisconsin, the Badgers ranked among the nation’s top five in total defense and top 10 in scoring defense.
In 2017 at the age of 35, Leonhard was a finalist for the Broyles Award, presented to the nation’s top assistant coach.
In 2021, Wisconsin allowed only 239 yards per game, the fewest by an FBS team since 2011.
His defense in 2019 posted four shutouts, the first Big Ten team to do so since 1962.
When Chryst was fired midway through the 2022 season, Leonhard was elevated to interim head coach. He guided the Badgers to a 4-3 record but was not retained for the permanent job.
JEFF CHOATE, CO-DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR, TEXAS
Jeff Choate has been co-defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach at Texas from 2021-23.
Previously, he was head coach at Montana State from 2016-2020, where he went 28-22 in four years. He went 8-5 and 11-4 in his final two years at Montana State before taking the co-DC job at Texas under Steve Sarkisian.
Choate worked with Smith at Washington from 2014-15, where Choate served as defensive line coach and special teams coach for two years before taking the head coaching job at Montana State.
Choate didn’t cross paths with Smith at Boise State, but Choate coached for one of Smith’s mentors, Chris Petersen, at Boise State from 2006-11. Choate coached running backs and special teams for Petersen at Boise from ’06-08 and linebackers/special teams from ’09-11.
Choate left Boise State to coach linebackers at Washington State in 2012 for Mike Leach.
Choate also spent one year (2013) as linebackers coach and special teams coach at Florida under Will Muschamp.
At Texas, Choate works along side Longhorns defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski. Choate previously worked with Kwiatkowski at Washington and Boise State.
Kwiatkowski was DC at Washington under Lake in 2020 and was co-DC with Lake under Petersen at Washington in 2018-19.
DEMETRICE MARTIN, CBs COACH, OREGON
Demetrice Martin, who played at Michigan State from 1992-95, has steadily earned respect as a cornerbacks and defensive backs coach at the Power Five level and could be ready for an increased role. He has spent the past two years as Oregon’s cornerbacks coach and defensive pass game coordinator.
With Martin’s work at Oregon, and previously in the Pac-12, Smith is well aware of Coach Meat’s credentials.
Martin, a native of Los Angeles, coached in the junior college ranks from 2001-02, and at Mt. San Antonio College (2003-05) before breaking through as a graduate assistant at USC from 2006-07, and then landing a cornerbacks coaching job at Washington (2009-11) under head coach Steve Sarkisian and defensive coordinator Nick Holt.
Holt also was an assistant with Martin at USC in ’06-07, and Holt was with Smith at Idaho in ’04-05. So there are some shared rings on the coaching tree.
Martin became defensive backs coach at UCLA from 2012-17 under Jim Mora.
Martin was cornerbacks coach at Arizona from 2018-19 under Kevin Sumlin, and at Colorado (2020-21) under Karl Dorrell.
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