Mississippi State defensive coordinator Coleman Hutzler eager for new challenge

Coleman Hutzler learned about football from an early age, just being around his father. Hutzler has also gained a ton of Power 4 experience coaching on the defensive side of the ball and special teams over the past two decades.

But this fall Hutzler steps into new territory as Mississippi State’s defensive coordinator and defensive play caller. On Thursday at the Seal Complex, Hutzler met with local media to discuss the Bulldogs’ defense and the upcoming season along with other topics:

Q: What’s job No. 1 for your group?
Hutzler: Heading into fall camp it’s building off the spring, building off the different phases we’ve had here since we got here in January. Excited to get to the football side of things, get out on the grass with our guys and just looking to build off the foundation we laid in spring ball and the 15 practices we had there. Then continue to evaluate who are going to be our playmakers and who are the guys we can count on to play great defense.

Q: What was your main takeaway from spring practice?
Hutzler: I was real excited with just the way our guys took to everything we were establishing, whether it was an identity piece or a mindset or mentality of how we’re going to play defense or a specific scheme part of it. I think we’ve got great competition at all three levels. I think we’ve added some depth where we needed it and we have some guys that really showed in the spring that we can trust and count on. Not one particular group jumped out more than another. There’s some things we are excited to build off of and go into fall camp and take it into game 1.

Q: Where is safety Kobi Albert with his process of returning from injury?
Hutzler: I’m very excited. Had a great summer, had a great rehab. He’s done a great job and it’s hard. It’s really hard in the spring when there’s football going on and you don’t get to participate. I thought he handled it well and showed a lot of maturity. He’s had a great summer, really attacked it. No setbacks and excited to let him loose here in a couple of days.

Q: How’s the transition from going to defensive coordinator?
Hutzler: I think my background of being a special teams coordinator really helps with that transition, having to do that for so many years and coordinating is definitely a foundation to build upon. It’s an adjustment but it’s exciting. It’s a life-long dream and something I’ve been wanting to do and work towards my whole career. Can’t wait to get going.

Q: You have to replace two really good linebackers in Jett Johnson and Bookie Watson. How’s that linebackers’ room looking?
Hutzler: I’m really happy with where that room is at now coming out of the spring. Getting Stone (Blanton) back home has been huge. You look at guys like John Lewis, who made the transition a little bit to playing more true inside backer. He’s had a great spring and summer. Nic Mitchell is a guy that has a lot of promise. I’m excited. Bookie and Jett were two great players. On the other sideline and playing against them, I have a lot of respect for the way they played and how productive they were. But we have a ton of guys that can step up and have a great year.

Q: How do you go from being over the entire special teams to being over the entire defense now?
Hutzler: A great part about being special teams coordinator is you work with basically everybody but the quarterbacks. You got the Oline and field goals and you have a foundation there. Now to just being over the defense, in a way you could say it’s easier and you’re working with just your guys. I love coaching and I grew up on it. I played for my dad and this is all I’ve been wanting to do. To be able to do it at Mississippi State is awesome.

Q: You’ve coached with some great defensive minds before. How would you describe what you want your defense to look like?
Hutzler: The three things we talk about are effort, technique and execution. Those have been the core values since I got here from day 1. Obviously, there’s other things we build on like getting the ball out and creating turnovers and all that. But if we can play with great effort, have great technique and go execute, we have a great chance to play good defense. I’ve been blessed to work with some great head coaches and great defensive coordinators and defensive-minded coaches. To be able to pull from them all these years has been fun.

Q: Every defensive player loves the word ‘multiple’. But if you were describing your base and foundation with the scheme, where would it come from?
Hutzler: It’s funny how many interviews I’ve had since getting here in January and I’ve had people tell me I can’t use the word ‘multiple’ when describing our defense. I think you can’t in one front and one coverage and play today’s offenses. You can’t do it, even if you had better players across the board. You’re gonna get exposed. So you got to be able to change your front. You’ve got to be able to play three-down and four-down, and you got to be able to change coverages to change that picture for the quarterback.

We talk about it all the time. If we can affect the quarterback, we got a great chance at having success on defense.

Q: If you can’t say multiple, what word can you say?
Hutzler: Aggressive, I think is what I said. We want to be aggressive. We want to dictate things as much as we can. We want to be violent in how we play. We want to be opportunistic in creating turnovers and getting the ball back. If we can do that and get the ball back to (Blake) Shapen and the boys, we’ve got a great chance of scoring points.

Q: What guys have stepped up as leaders on your defense?
Hutzler: There’s a lot of guys that have done a good job of that since January. I think De’Monte up front. De’Monte Russell has done a great job. John Lewis, J.P. Purvis and Stone are three guys in my room that do a great job. Then on the back end, you got a veteran guy like Corey Ellington and Hunter Washington. You got some guys we can lean on. Brylan Lanier came in from East (Mississippi) at the middle of the year and had a great spring and earned a lot of respect from his teammates to be a guy we can count on. So we got guys at all three levels. There’s not just one leader or one Alpha, which I like. I like different guys at all different positions.

Q: How do you take guys from different backgrounds and mold them into one defense?
Hutzler: That’s coaching. That’s growing up in the game, playing for my dad. I saw what he did and what his staff did with 14-18 year-olds. At this level, it’s 18-22. It’s being able to get to know one another. Everyone has a different background and a different story. But we’re all here for the same goal, the same purpose. That’s been fun to see, and that’s been fun to establish over the course over the offseason. We’ve had some fun as a defense doing different things to continue to band together, and know who we’re going into battle with come fall.

Q: With your special teams’ background, how have you helped special teams coordinator Cliff Odom?
Hutzler: I told Coach Odom, I said from Day 1 to make me do something. I’ll coach the right guards on the punt team or the left wings. Don’t think I want to be standing around. I love it and obviously, I’ve done it a ton. I lean on him to tell me what to do and I’m fired up to do it.

Q: What stands out to you about Odom?
Hutzler: He’s done a great job of bringing energy and establishing the right mindset to the kicking game. He’s a great coach and I’m excited to see his guys play.

Q: How would you describe going against Jeff Lebby’s offense in practice?
Hutzler: Fast. It’s great for me, my first year coordinating to be able to go against it every day and have to have to think fast and operate quickly. But also understand how we’re going to attack and what the answers are. Leb has done a great job everywhere he’s been. We had a great year together at that other place in ’21 and I’m excited to be working for him.

Q: Have you decided if you will be on the field or in the press box on game day?
Hutzler: It’s looking like down on the field. With the way I’m wired and in my past always being on the field, that’s probably where I will be.

Q: How’s it been for you to have a veteran coach like David Turner on your defensive staff?
Hutzler: It’s been awesome. Working with DT, he’s one of the best in the business at producing Dlinemen and does a great job with our guys. He’s humble, no ego, no nothing for a guy who could have a big ego if he wanted to. He’s phenomenal. He keeps me in check and we have fun. It’s been great.

Q: What’s it like being part of the Egg Bowl rivalry on this side of it now?
Hutzler: I can’t believe it’s not on Thanksgiving but we’ll play it on Friday. But it’s exciting. A lot of respect for the rivalry and the tradition that it is. We got a long way to go before then and a lot to get done before then. But really excited to be back in the state and part of it.