Mississippi State officially announces new staff hires in Matt Barnes, Corey Bell
Mississippi State head coach Jeff Lebby took step closer to finalizing his first coaching staff on Friday with two more official announcements. The Bulldogs added former Ohio State and Memphis defensive coordinator Matt Barnes as the safeties coach/co-defensive coordinator and former Florida Atlantic assistant Corey Bell as the cornerbacks coach.
Barnes was the defensive coordinator at Memphis the past two seasons (2022, 2023) and was also the Ohio State defensive coordinator/safeties coach in 2021. Barnes also served as the special teams coordinator/safeties coach for Ohio State in 2019 and 2020 and he also coached safeties for Ohio State during those two seasons.
From 2016-2018, the 37-year-old Barnes was the Maryland special teams coordinator and linebackers coach. He began his Division 1 coaching career as a graduate assistant at Florida from 2012-14.
Bell, a Miami native, was the defensive pass coordinator for Florida Atlantic this past season and was the cornerbacks coach/recruiting coordinator at Florida International in 2022. Before a two-year stint at Florida as a quality control coach/director of player personnel, Bell was also the cornerbacks coach at Central Florida from 2018-20.
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Bell also served as the secondary coach at South Florida in 2017 and started his Division 1 coaching career at Florida Atlantic where he was a secondary assistant from 2014-16.
With the hire of Barnes, Lebby is still in search of one more on-the-field coach to round out his first coaching staff in Starkville.
MISSISSIPPI STATE STAFF HIRES
Running backs coach – Anthony Tucker
Quarterbacks coach – Matt Holecek
Receivers coach – Chad Bumphis
Offensive line coach – Cody Kennedy
Tight ends coach – Jon Cooper
Defensive coordinator/inside linebackers coach – Coleman Hutzler
Defensive line coach – David Turner
Safeties coach/co-defensive coordinator – Matt Barnes
Cornerbacks coach – Corey Bell
