Joe Rossi is confident in his Spartan’s defensive growth, depth, and cohesion

Michigan State defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Joe Rossi is confident in the work he is seeing after the Spartans took practice into Spartan Stadium this week and is excited about the competition and cohesion he is seeing among his defensive group.

“It was good work,” Rossi said. “We got an opportunity to do some tackling, so we had some different periods. We had some pass emphasis periods, we had some run emphasis periods, first and second down.”

The decision to practice in the stadium was made by head coach Jonathan Smith to put the players in the most game-like situations possible and help new roster additions adjust to the speed and intensity of Big Ten football. 

“You know, we have some new people that were additions to the roster, and we’re going to be scrimmaging later in the week,” Rossi said. “So it was ‘hey, get them over there in the practice. Let them see what it’s like,’ and when we go over there for the scrimmage, create the most game-like situation possible.”

Rossi realizes there are a limited amount of practices left and discussed Coach Smith’s strategy of picking the days and picking what the focal point of each practice will be — Tuesday’s practice wasn’t a full scrimmage, but it was physical, focusing on live-action tackling scenarios. 

“There’s different ways to practice tackling,” Rossi said. “Whether it’s individual, whether it’s on bags, whether it’s just tagging off, but then also you have your live days … I thought yesterday was great to get some live hits. We get the ball out on the perimeter like on some ‘now’ screens, which are the hardest tackles in football, and put our guys in those situations.”

In his first year leading the Spartans’ defense, Rossi was focused on rebuilding the defensive unit and laying down the foundation for their success. Now, reflecting on the 2024 season, he openly acknowledges the inconsistencies the defense faced, particularly getting off the field on third downs and putting pressure on the quarterback.

“I thought overall we did a good job (last year) of not allowing explosive plays down the field in the pass game,” Rossi said. “I think, you know, that’s the quickest way to get beat, to get balls strung over your head. The slow death is getting a bunch of third downs on a drive and not being able to get off the field, and we created a lot of those situations. We need to be better at getting off the field.”

Physicality is an area Rossi believes he saw his team take steps in the right direction in year one, and while continuing to improve it, the emphasis is placed more on creating a more disruptive pass defense and applying pressure on the quarterback. 

“When you look back on last season,” Rossi said. “I feel like, for the most part, first and second down, we had some success. We got into some obvious passing situations, and we need to do better. We need to rush better and we need to cover better.”

Rossi is attacking the issue from all angles and working to build a defensive identity rather than fixing a single position group or issue. He claims the three ways to address the problem are through the development of the players he has, recruiting new players, and schematic adjustments.

“We feel like we’ve addressed all three,” Rossi said. “And it’s been an emphasis in all three areas, and we’ve seen some growth this camp, and it’s going to continue to be an emphasis.”

One of the most notable transformations has been the edge rush room, a position Rossi says didn’t exist when he came in. 

“I think we kind of remade that room,” Rossi said. “You know, when we kind of came in, it was a position that really wasn’t here. We got some guys in the spot, and we’ve kind of had to bring some guys in from the outside that kind of had the skillset. So there’s a good mix, in my opinion, now, of older guys and younger guys.”

The ideal skillset Rossi looks for in the edge rush room is length, twitch, athleticism, and speed, claiming those are the hallmarks of guys that can rush the passer, and those are attributes they are looking for as the coaching staff begins to fill in the depth chart and move guys around. 

“I think we’ve got a lot of guys that are capable of going and playing winning football for us,” Rossi said. “So we’ll see how the rest of camp shakes out and how the depth chart fills out, but I’m confident.”

With fall camp in full swing, Rossi emphasized after Tuesday’s practice that nothing is set in stone and starters have not been named. Instead, he emphasizes his strong belief in rotating players and the designed fluidity of the depth chart.

“I mean, you could come out three different days and see like three different guys with the ones,” Rossi said. “And that’s by design because we’re looking to create depth, you know how this league is, and we want to get guys going against the offensive ones, and they’re doing the same thing.”

This process is not only beneficial for sorting out the depth chart, but it also creates internal competition and urgency among players, something Rossi believes heightens the intensity of practices and individuals. 

“We liked what we saw at all the positions that we added, but what we wanted to do was add some depth, and add some guys to the room,” Rossi said. “It wasn’t what we didn’t necessarily see in terms of the individuals we had, we just wanted more depth and creating competitive situations in both rooms where guys are fighting for jobs. I think anytime someone has to compete for a job, their game is going to rise as a result.”

In the linebacker room specifically, competition is fierce and productive. 

“I think it’s a really good room,” Rossi said. “I think it’s competitive for playing time, and I think there’s a lot of guys that have the ability to play.”

Among those emerging players, Rossi highlighted Brady Pretzlaff. 

“I think Brady is going to be a great player for us,” Rossi said. “Obviously, we got a deep room there, but he’s really talented.”

On the flip side, the position group on the MSU defense receiving the most skepticism is the secondary. Rossi is unfazed by the opinions, saying they are “fine” and that many of the good Spartan defenses over the years were predicted to not be very good. 

He believes the most important qualities of a secondary are length, athleticism, and football IQ, all of which, Rossi says, have been improving. 

“We feel like we’ve gotten longer and we’ve gotten more physical,” Rossi said. “And we also value football IQ. I think if you can get a secondary of guys that have some length and athleticism and they’re smart, you’ve got a chance to have a really good group. I’ve been pleased with what we’ve seen so far in camp.”

Specifically, Rossi points to two defensive backs, Justin Denson and Aydan West, who have shown promising talent.

“I think Justin Denson’s good, done some really good things to date in camp and in the back end,” Rossi said. “Aydan West is a guy that came in the winter, so we’ve been pleased with the young guys in multiple of those spots that I mentioned.”

It’s not just the defensive backs who are improving, though. Rossi makes it a point to highlight the growth in the wide receiver room, saying it’s faster with more playmaking ability spread out among multiple people. 

“I think the other thing that helps us is we’ve upgraded, you know, big time in the receiver room,” Rossi said. “I think we’ve got a really competitive situation where we’re going against some high-quality receivers, and it’s been back and forth, which is a good thing.”

Rossi’s praise continued in detail for individual players who have been taking meaningful steps from last season to now. Linebacker Jordan Hall is one of them, specifically due to his good communication and experience, which helps him to help out more and be in a lead position to wear the green dot.  

“As you get older, the game slows down, you can kind of help out,” Rossi said. “You can communicate, you can call things out, but I thought he’s done a great job with it.”

Two defensive linemen, Jalen Thompson and Quindarius Dunnigan, are also catching the attention of Coach Rossi with their growth. Thompson is playing in multiple spots out on the edge, inside, and mainly on the outside, showing his versatility as a player that Rossi is making sure to utilize and appreciate. 

“Last year, (Thompson) had a good season,” Rossi said. “He did his job, and what we’ve seen this year is he’s starting to make plays in the run game and in the pass game, so it’s been pretty cool to see.”

Dunnigan has caught the attention of coaches as well with the hard work he has put into improving his body and the noticeable changes in his athleticism.

“He looks a little bit faster and twitchier than he was last year,” Rossi said. “He’s an effort guy. He gives us everything he has, but it’s been kind of noticeable that he’s moving around a little bit bigger, kind of leaned himself out, and even though carrying the same weight, just added muscle, so his work’s paid off.”

Even freshmen have made waves and stuck out to Rossi as he highlighted defensive linemen Mikeshun Beeler and Derrick Simmons, who he believes have the potential to be solid players for the green and white. 

The biggest change, and the most important, from last fall to this one has been the team chemistry. Coach Rossi points out that it is noticeable in this second year that players are more connected to each other after having played together. The sense of familiarity has not just allowed for better communication across the defense but has increased the energy of practice and is an invaluable quality of the team. 

“So I think what we’re seeing is a more connected team,” Rossi said. “And when you have a more connected team, I think it’s natural that there’s more energy, more camaraderie.”