Michigan State Adds Veteran DB Coach Hank Poteat to Pat Fitzgerald’s Staff
Pat Fitzgerald hasn’t wasted any time getting to work in East Lansing. Just weeks into his new role as Michigan State’s head football coach, the longtime Northwestern leader is methodically piecing together his staff - and the latest addition brings both NFL pedigree and a proven track record of developing elite secondaries.
Michigan State has officially hired Hank Poteat as its new cornerbacks coach, a move that adds both experience and credibility to Fitzgerald’s defensive staff. Poteat, a former Super Bowl champion and 10-year NFL veteran, has quietly built an impressive résumé as a college position coach over the past decade. He’s coached corners at the FBS level since 2015, with stops at Kent State, Toledo, Wisconsin, and most recently Iowa State.
His time in Ames was particularly notable. In 2024, Poteat’s cornerbacks helped lead a Cyclones defense that ranked first in the nation in pass defense, allowing just 165.6 yards through the air per game.
That’s not a typo - in a Big 12 loaded with high-octane offenses, Iowa State was locking down opposing receivers week in and week out. The group also finished 22nd nationally in interceptions with 15, despite battling through a rash of injuries on the defensive side.
Poteat’s unit wasn’t just statistically strong - it was filled with individual success stories. Redshirt sophomore Jontez Williams earned second-team All-Big 12 honors after picking off passes in four straight games.
Senior Darien Porter, who started his college career as a wide receiver, made a smooth transition to corner and finished with three interceptions - two of them coming in a rivalry win over Iowa. Fellow senior Myles Purchase added another pick and seven pass breakups in 2024, capping off a two-year stretch in which he tallied 22 PBUs.
And that wasn’t even Poteat’s most decorated group. In his first year with the Cyclones, he coached future NFL draft pick T.J.
Tampa, who earned All-America honors and was a semifinalist for both the Thorpe and Bednarik Awards. Tampa allowed just one touchdown in over 400 coverage snaps and was selected in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens.
That same season, Purchase had 15 pass breakups - tied for fourth nationally - and the Cyclones finished second in the Big 12 in total defense and third in scoring defense.
Poteat also contributed on special teams, helping guide return man Jaylin Noel to career-best averages on both kick and punt returns. Noel had four returns of over 30 yards, including two kick returns of at least 50 yards.
Before Iowa State, Poteat spent two seasons at Wisconsin, where his corners helped the Badgers finish 10th nationally in total defense in 2022. That group picked off 17 passes, and both starting corners - Faion Hicks and Caesar Dancy-Williams - earned All-Big Ten recognition. Hicks would go on to be drafted by the Denver Broncos, while Dancy-Williams signed with the Rams as an undrafted free agent.
Poteat’s earlier stops include a four-year stint at Toledo, where he helped the Rockets win a MAC title and coached standout corners like Samuel Womack and Ka’dar Hollman - both of whom went on to NFL careers. Womack, in particular, was a ballhawk, tying for fourth nationally with 15 pass breakups in 2019. Hollman, a former walk-on, was drafted by the Packers in 2019.
His coaching career began at Kentucky Christian and continued with a graduate assistant role at Pitt, his alma mater, before landing his first FBS position at Kent State. There, he coached three All-MAC corners in just two seasons.
The hire gives Fitzgerald a seasoned technician in the secondary - someone who’s developed pros, built top-tier pass defenses, and brings a player’s perspective to the room. It also reflects Fitzgerald’s approach to building a staff: experienced, proven, and ready to compete in the Big Ten.
Fitzgerald himself, hired on December 1st as Michigan State’s 27th head football coach, brings 17 years of Big Ten experience and 110 career wins from his time at Northwestern. He takes over a Spartan program looking to rebound from back-to-back bowl-less seasons under Jonathan Smith.
And with hires like Poteat, it’s clear Fitzgerald is laying the foundation with intent. The Spartans are building something - and they’re starting with defense.