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EAST LANSING — Jordan Hall knew he could leave Michigan State football after Mel Tucker was fired. A highly coveted freshman linebacker already was making his impact felt in the Big Ten and would have had no shortage of suitors.
But in one of his earliest meetings with new defensive coordinator Joe Rossi, Hall quickly learned his new linebackers coach already had his eye on him.
“I think I had a pretty decent freshman year. And he kind of neglected that and kind of focused on more of the things that I needed to work on,” Hall recalled recently. “And kind of how I looked at it is — because transferring was an option — I felt like me staying here would basically be like I transferred with a whole new staff coming in.”
So far, so good.
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“I just felt that it was best, and this is a really good situation,” Hall said. “I feel like it’s playing out well.”
Michigan State’s Jordan Hall, left, and Cal Haladay celebrate after beating Nebraska on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing.
Depth at linebacker last season behind Hall, Cal Haladay and Aaron Brule, however, was thin. Especially after Jacoby Windmon got hurt and was lost for the season and Darius Snow got shut down for the second straight season after four games.
Brule’s eligibility expired, and Windmon opted to enter the NFL draft rather than return for his COVID-waiver season. But Rossi and new coach Jonathan Smith moved quickly to fill the void, bringing in veteran transfer linebackers Jordan Turner from Wisconsin and Wayne Matthews III from Old Dominion and flipping prospect Brady Pretzlaff from a commitment to Minnesota to build more depth in the middle of the defense.
“I’ve been super lucky. The linebacker room is just top-notch with great…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/michigan-state-football-joe-rossi-100729500.html
Author : Detroit Free Press
Publish date : 2024-04-13 10:07:29
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