Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach Jeff Lebby added veteran college football coach Mike MacIntyre to his staff as a defensive analyst.
Mike MacIntyre Joins Mississippi State for Bounce-Back Campaign
The Bulldogs were 125th in the nation in total defense last season, allowing 456 yards and 34 points per game.
They were also dead last in the SEC in those categories, and they had a measly 42 sacks and 47 tackles for a loss.
The No. 1 ranked defense in the country, the Ohio State Buckeyes, conceded an average of 254.6 yards per game.
Mississippi State was also the worst team in the SEC in takeaways and last against the run (217 ypg).
MacIntyre’s Coaching Résumé Is Impressive
MacIntyre was the head coach of the San Jose State Spartans from 2010 to 2012 and the Colorado Buffaloes from 2013 to 2018. Most recently, he led the Florida International Panthers from 2022 to 2024.
With San Jose State, he took a one-win team to a 10-2 record by 2012.
He has also held defensive coordinator positions at programs such as Duke, Ole Miss, and Memphis.
With Ole Miss in 2019, their defense improved, holding opponents to fewer overall points per game and approximately 100 fewer rush yards per game in 2019 than in 2018.
Their run defense went from No. 116 in 2018 to No. 42 in 2019, and the scoring defense improved from No. 113 in 2018 to No. 59 in points per game. The unit even held nine teams to under 30 points compared to three times the previous year.
Mississippi State’s defense was boosted on Feb. 1 when its Junior Day netted them 2026 cornerback prospect Camron Brown of Valdosta (Ga.) High School. He had offers from Vanderbilt, Georgia Tech, UCF, and Maryland, among others.
Valdosta High School had a 9-3 record, with Brown getting 30 tackles, five tackles for loss, and two quarterback hurries.
KEEP READING: 2025 Way-Too-Early College Football Top 25 Power Rankings
He is the second defensive back to commit to the Bulldogs, joining safety prospect Iverson McCoy of Tupelo High School.
College Football Network has you covered with the latest from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC, and every Group of Five conference and FBS Independent program.
