A rising star in the coaching business thought to be a strong candidate at Mississippi State has reportedly been hired by the New York Giants.

Joe Judge, a former Mississippi State QB, who coached at Alabama under Nick Saban and most recently for several years with the New England Patriots, has landed a big promotion. He was the special teams coordinator and wide receivers coach. ESPN’s Adam Schefter and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport each reported the news.

In recent days, Louisiana’s Billy Napier told reporters that he was not a candidate in Starkville.

About that same time, Judge emerged as a top candidate believed to be on a short list at MSU.

“Outside of Boston, Bill Belichick’s and Nick Saban’s circles, few people probably had any idea at that time who Joe Judge was,” Football Scoop reported. “At just 37 years old, Judge has quietly become one of Bill Belichick’s most trusted and respected lieutenants.”

In the last two decades, he’s finished his career at MSU, and then moved into coaching at Birmingham Southern, Alabama, and with the Patriots. In New England, Judge served as special teams assistant for three seasons before he was promoted to the coordinator role after the 2014 campaign.