Leach zeroing in on Newberry for DC at MSU
It appears new Mississippi State head football coach Mike Leach has a top candidate to be his defensive coordinator with the Bulldogs.
The Starkville Daily News confirmed with multiple sources on Saturday that Navy defensive coordinator Brian Newberry is the frontrunner to take the same position at MSU. The news was first reported by 247Sports. There has been no confirmation from Mississippi State regarding a hire of Newberry, or his candidacy. However, several with knowledge of the situation believe Newberry to be Leach's top choice.
If Newberry indeed comes to Starkville, he brings with him an impressive resume. In just one year at Navy, Newberry helped the Midshipmen to an 11-2 overall record. Navy was 3-10 the year before Newberry's arrival.
Newberry's defensive unit was critical in Navy's turnaround. The Midshipmen were the country's 16th-best defense in terms of yards allowed per game last season, giving up only 314.2 yards each contest on average. Navy was especially stingy against the run, allowing just 3.17 yards per carry and only 105.8 yards per game. That rushing-yards-allowed-per-game total was the 10th-best mark in the nation.
Newberry also led a group adept at creating turnovers. Navy had 22 turnovers gained in 2019, a total tied for 23rd in the nation.
Newberry's success extends before his stop at Navy. Prior to that, he spent the previous four years as the defensive coordinator at Kennesaw State where his defenses helped lead the Owls to the FCS quarterfinals in both 2017 and 2018.
Those last two years at Kennesaw State were especially impressive by Newberry. The Owls forced 56 total turnovers over those two years, including 37 interceptions. Kennesaw State was second in total defense in the FCS in 2018, giving up just 263.7 yards per game. In 2017, the Owls were seventh in the FCS in scoring defense, allowing only 15.5 points per game.
Prior to coaching at Kennesaw State, Newberry had defensive coordinator stints at Division II Northern Michigan and The University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee.
Newberry's other coaching stops include jobs as an assistant at Elon, Washington and Lee, Rice, Lehigh and Southern Arkansas.
A hire of Newberry would presumably allow Leach to get his defensive staff in place. Leach's offensive staff is already largely set. MSU is expected to soon confirm the hires of assistants Eric Mele (running backs), Mason Miller (offensive line), Steve Spurrier, Jr. (outside receivers) and Dave Nichol (inside receivers). Matt Brock (special teams) is also expected to soon be announced officially.
Mississippi State has already confirmed hires of Tyson Brown (strength and conditioning) and Dave Emerick (senior associate athletic director for football).
The defensive side of Leach's first MSU staff has remained a bit of a mystery. It's expected that Tony Hughes will be retained from former MSU head coach Joe Moorhead's staff and that he'll coach in some capacity on defense. However beyond that, not much has been known.
With Newberry emerging as Leach's primary choice to be defensive coordinator though, it's likely not long before the rest of the coaching staff is ironed out.
Buckley to Ole Miss
Ole Miss officially announced the hire of former MSU cornerbacks coach Terrell Buckley on Saturday. Buckley guided the State cornerbacks for the last four seasons. Buckley has long been a well-regarded coach. He has tutored 13 different players who have signed professional contracts and was key in helping the Bulldogs ink threestraight top 25 recruiting classes.
Shoop lands at Michigan
It was also officially announced on Saturday that former Mississippi State defensive coordinator Bob Shoop will head to Michigan.
Shoop will lead the safeties for the Wolverines.
Shoop was at MSU for each of the last two years. His 2018 defense, led by three eventual first-round NFL Draft picks, was regarded as perhaps the best defense in Mississippi State history. The group fell off in 2019. Without the star power of the previous year, MSU was 73rd in the country in total defense last season.