The first Michigan State coaching staff under Pat Fitzgerald was missing one final piece, but the new head coach has reportedly addressed that.
There’s a minor concern about the defensive line coach as the reported hire, Winston DeLattiboudere III, declined to answer questions this week about his future with Michigan State. He is still focused on finishing the season with the Arizona Cardinals, so that probably explains it.
With DeLattiboudere likely headed to East Lansing after the NFL season, it would appear that the Spartans were missing one position coach: running backs.
On Monday, Fitzgerald reportedly made his final coaching staff hire.
Michigan State is set to hire Wisconsin’s Devon Spalding as running backs coach, a source tells @CBSSports.
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) December 30, 2025
Spalding, whom @JohnDBrice1 previously reported was being targeted by Michigan State, worked at Wisconsin the last three years and coached players like Braelon Allen. pic.twitter.com/8gWqteIyEk
Devon Spalding, a Canton native and former Central Michigan running back, was poached by Fitzgerald to become Michigan State’s next running backs coach. Taking a running backs coach from Wisconsin can’t be a bad thing, but Spalding doesn’t exactly have an extensive resume.
What do we know about Devon Spalding?
Spalding was the Wisconsin running backs coach for the past three seasons. Before Wisconsin, he spent time with Cincinnati as a grad assistant under Luke Fickell and he also spent time at Youngstown State.
With Wisconsin, he worked with Braelon Allen and helped get him to the NFL, but since then, Tawee Walker has been his most effective back.
Wisconsin fans soured on Spalding a bit this season after the Badgers didn’t have a single running back break 400 yards. Darrion Dupree finished with 363 yards, Dillon Jones had 300, and Gideon Ituka rushed for 255. It wasn’t exactly the best season for the Badgers’ run game, but that was not all on him.
When Spalding was at Youngstown State he helped develop Jaleel McLaughlin into the NCAA’s all-time leading rusher with over 8,000 career rushing yards. Not too shabby for a former collegiate running back who graduated less than seven years ago.
This hire might catch some strays from the national media like the quarterbacks coaching hire got, but we have to let this play out before calling it “good” or “bad”.
On paper, this looks like a smart move by Fitzgerald, keeping a Midwest coach in the Midwest, bringing him back home.