Mississippi State head coach Joe Moorhead is busy assembling his staff in Starkville this week. On top of adding a defensive coordinator with SEC coaching experience, Moorhead could also be adding an offensive line coach with ACC coaching experience. He will also reportedly offer a coaching job to former Louisiana-Lafeyette head coach Mark Hudspeth.
According to a report from Football Scoop, Hudspeth will be joining the Mississippi State coaching staff as a tight ends coach. This will be a homecoming of sorts for Hudspeth. Hudspeth previously spent time on the Mississippi State coaching staff form 2009 through 2010 prior to becoming the head coach at Louisiana-Lafayette. His addition to the staff should be a welcome one as Moorhead continues to add quality assistants to his growing football staff in Starkville.
According to Bruce Feldman of Sports Illustrated, via Twitter, Duke offensive line coach Marcus Johnson could be the latest addition to the coaching staff at Mississippi State.
SOURCE: #MissState is hiring Marcus Johnson from Duke, a Mississippi native, as MSU’s new O-line coach under Joe Moorhead.
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) December 8, 2017
This is a particularly interesting hire, because Johnson is an alum of Ole Miss (Class of 2004). The former NFL lineman joined the Duke coaching staff in 2011 and has held multiple positions on the football staff over the years under David Cutcliffe. Duke’s offensive line play may not have ever been among the best in the ACC, but Johnson was on a staff that saw Duke play for an ACC championship, and the level of offensive linemen he may be able to work with at Mississippi State could potentially be improved over his units in Durham.
It is also worth noting that Johnson played under former Ole Miss offensive line coach, Matt Luke. Luke was given the full-time head coaching job at Ole Miss after his one-year interim job.