Mississippi State’s transition on defense continues with the hiring of Ron English as the team’s new safeties coach. English has twice been nominated for the Broyles Award, given annually to the nation’s top assistant coach, and was the 2006 National Defensive Coordinator of the Year at Michigan.

The team officially announced the news Thursday evening.

“We are fortunate to hire someone of Ron’s caliber as safeties coach,” head coach Dan Mullen said. “To bring someone to our staff who has served as an FBS head coach and been a successful defensive coordinator is a tremendous asset for our program. His knowledge of the game, especially in the secondary, will complement our staff. We are excited to welcome Ron and his family to Starkville.”

Todd Grantham will now have an experienced safeties coach to help turn around a passing defense that ranked dead last in the SEC in 2015. Mississippi State also allowed 33 passing touchdowns last season, only one better than Arizona – the Wildcats finished last in the nation with 34 passing scores given up.

“I am grateful for this opportunity to join Coach Mullen’s staff and be a part of the MSU family,” English said. “Bowl games have become the norm in Starkville, and the opportunity to coach in the Southeastern Conference with Dan and Todd Grantham is exciting. I look forward to helping our players develop and teaching the game I love.”

English was once one of the hot assistant coaches in the nation during his time at Michigan, the Wolverines went 20-6 with English serving as the team’s defensive coordinator. English left Ann Arbor to run Louisville’s defense before landing the head coaching job at Eastern Michigan. He was fired from that job after five seasons.

With talented players to help coach up, such as Jamal Peters and Brandon Bryant, English lands in an ideal situation to help rebuild his once stellar coaching reputation. Mississippi State’s defense certainly could use some new blood after the disappointing season on the defensive side of the ball in Starkville.