Mississippi State hires Super Bowl champion to coach Bulldog defensive line

Mississippi State football is making a move at a key coaching position. The program has hired Rice's Ty Warren as the next defensive line coach of the Bulldogs. Warren replaces David Turner, who had been Mississippi State's DL coach since 2023.

After suffering subpar D-Line play over the last two seasons, Mississippi State is looking to see the return of dominant play at the position, and Ty Warren knows a thing or two about playing defensive line at an elite level.

A former All-Big 12 performer at Texas A&M, Warren was taken in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. While in New England, Warren would establish himself as one of the best in Bill Belichick's dominant defenses. He'd win a pair of Super Bowl titles in 2003 and 2004, playing for a third in 2007. He was named an NFL All-Pro in 2007.

Injuries cut Ty Warren's career short, but in his seven seasons with the Patriots, he left his mark as a key piece of the dynasty. He would eventually be named to New England's All-Decade Team of the 2000s as well as their All-Dynasty Team. He finished his NFL career with 376 tackles and 20.5 sacks.

Warren's coaching career began in 2019 as the head coach of Somerville High School in Texas. In 2020 he was hired as a minority coaching assistant for the Detroit Lions. He'd get his first shot as a DL coach for the USFL's Houston Gamblers in 2022, working in the same role for the XFL's Orlando Guardians in 2023.

Later in 2023, Warren burst into the college ranks as the DL coach at Stephen F. Austin at the FCS level. Warren's second season with the Lumberjacks in 2024 saw their defense make a massive leap to being one of the best units in the FCS, fielding a strong defensive line. In 2025, Ty Warren made the move to the FBS, becoming the DL coach at Rice.

There are some questions with the hire of Ty Warren in Starkville. He's still very much an up-and-comer as a coach, lacking an extensive resume to judge and no experience at the power conference level. His abilities as a recruiter and developer are not yet established.

That being said, he knows from personal experience what it takes to become a high draft pick and then see sustained success in the NFL. That should be a great selling point to prospects, and one would imagine Warren can offer some high-level tricks of the trade to help coach up talent. He's not yet a proven name in this specific role, but the potential is there for a major payoff.