Remember when I said Pat Fitzgerald’s coaching staff was slowly coming together but I expect it to be completed in the next couple of weeks? Well, one more role has been filled for the new Michigan State head coach.
The Spartans had already addressed the secondary coaching with James Adams (maybe another coach will be hired to focus on cornerbacks), defensive coordinator is set with both Joe Rossi and Max Bullough, and the latter will also coach the linebackers. Fitzgerald also hired his strength and conditioning coach away from Central Michigan.
It looks like the defensive coaching staff is going to be completed rather soon while Fitzgerald will have extra time to focus on his offensive coaching hires.
On Monday morning, Fitzgerald reportedly locked down his next defensive line coach, and it happens to be one of the rising stars in the NFL industry.
Former Minnesota standout and Arizona Cardinals defensive line coach Winston DeLattiboudere is reportedly coming back to college to help his former defensive coordinator (Rossi) return Michigan State’s defensive line to prominence.
NEWS: #MichiganState is set to hire Arizona Cardinals DL coach Winston DeLattiboudere, sources tell us & @mzenitz.
— Justin Thind (@JustinThind) December 15, 2025
The 27-year-old rising star had other P4 schools vying to poach him from the NFL but chose Joe Rossi - who he’s played & coached for.
READ: https://t.co/oOEMS76X0s pic.twitter.com/MuMAhfXrin
According to Justin Thind, DeLattiboudere had other Power Four offers, but chose Rossi and Fitzgerald, two guys he’s familiar with from his playing days at Minnesota.
Pat Fitzgerald knocked the Winston DeLattiboudere hire out of the park
Michigan State fans have to be thrilled that Fitzgerald isn’t just hiring a bunch of his buddies from Northwestern. He did hire an off-field staffer from Northwestern over the weekend, but other than that, he’s focused on getting the best guys and not just coaches that he knows.
Just look at where all of his hires are from:
- Joe Rossi (co-DC): Michigan State by way of Minnesota
- Max Bullough (co-DC/LBs coach): Notre Dame
- James Adams (DB coach): Michigan State
- Winston DeLattiboudere (DL coach): Arizona Cardinals
- Joel Welsh (Strength & Conditioning coach): Central Michigan
This is the type of staff that fans were hoping for. They didn’t want to see a situation like Mark Dantonio hiring and keeping all of his buddies on staff. We’ll see if Fitzgerald is willing to fire these guys if they fail to meet expectations — something Dantonio never really did.
Also, landing an NFL coach for the same position at Michigan State is a huge pull, especially since he’s only 27, he’s going to recruit well, and he had multiple Power Four offers.