Mississippi State continued to build out its new coaching staff on Friday, announcing the hirings of Matt Barnes as co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach and Corey Bell as cornerbacks coach.
Barnes has spent the last two seasons as the defensive coordinator at Memphis, and coached special teams and defensive backs for three years at Ohio State before that. In 2019, his first season with the Buckeyes, Ohio State allowed the fewest passing yards per game among all Football Bowl Subdivision teams.
Prior to his arrival in Columbus, Barnes was the special teams coordinator for three years at Maryland, also coaching linebackers for the Terrapins in 2018. His other previous stops include Michigan and Florida, where he worked in more of an analyst role.
“He’s a tremendous teacher and leader of men and has a remarkable track record of success,” head coach Jeff Lebby said in a statement. “Coach Barnes has helped guide teams to the biggest stages in all of college football — from conference title games to the College Football Playoff — and has been instrumental in the development of numerous all-league and all-American players.”
Bell has spent his entire coaching career in the state of Florida, most recently as the defensive passing game coordinator at Florida Atlantic this past season. He was the cornerbacks coach and recruiting coordinator at Florida International in 2022, and prior to that served as assistant director of player personnel at Florida.
From 2018 to 2020, Bell coached cornerbacks at Central Florida, overlapping with Lebby on the Knights’ staff for two of those years. He also has experience at South Florida, Miami (as a director of operations) and a previous stint at Florida Atlantic, as well as 14 years as a high school head coach. He started at cornerback for South Carolina, graduating in 1995.
“Corey Bell is everything you want in a cornerbacks coach,” Lebby said. “From his hands-on experience as an SEC starter at the position, to his tremendous recruiting ability, to his teaching skills that have helped him guide so many to professional careers, Coach Bell is a well-rounded leader.”
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