Matt Mitchell had become one of the most highly-regarded head Football coaches in Division II of the NCAA. He was something of a fixture at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan.
The Grand Valley State Lakers have become regarded as one of the most successful Division II programs in history. Mitchell would be an intricate part of many accomplishments achieved by Grand Valley State. Now, he seems set to try to make his mark in the Division I ranks.
Hired as an assistant by the University of Wisconsin-Madison
Matt Mitchell is joining the Wisconsin Badgers football team coaching staff, reports Yardbarker.
According to WDIV-TV, he will be serving in a dual role as special teams coordinator and as outside linebackers coach.
The Badgers are embarking on a new era. Luke Fickell was recently selected as the football program's new head coach. Fickell has quickly set about bringing in several much-sought-after transfers from other schools. Along with assembling a coaching staff made up of highly-respected names. A list which now apparently includes Mitchell.
For more than a decade, Mitchell served as the head coach of the Lakers. Prior to that, he'd spent several years as an assistant with the program under head coach Chuck Martin. Martin is now a Division I head coach at Miami University. His predecessor, Brian Kelly, is currently the head coach for Louisiana State University.
Matt Mitchell began his tenure at Grand Valley State as the linebackers coach, followed by defensive coordinator. His time as an assistant coach with the school included two Division II National Championships and a runner-up. With five Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles to go with them.
After Martin left to join the coaching staff at the University of Notre Dame, Mitchell was promoted to the top job.
He would lead the Lakers to three GLIAC Championships and twice to the Division II Semifinals. Many of his former players at Grand Valley State have gone on to the NFL. The most well-known of which is probably Matthew Judon.
Previously, Mitchell was a star player as a defensive lineman at Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa.
He would begin his coaching career as an assistant at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa; eventually becoming defensive coordinator.
Completes the Badgers' group of coordinators
With the choice of Matt Mitchell, the Wisconsin Badgers now have their full complement of coordinators. The Badgers hired Phil Longo as their offensive coordinator away from North Carolina. Longo is also set to serve as the quarterbacks coach. As defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach, Mike Tressel is following Luke Fickell from the University of Cincinnati. He is the nephew of former Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Jim Tressel.
Fickell's other hires include Greg Scruggs as the defensive line coach. Scruggs was part of two Super Bowl Champion teams as a player in the NFL. He later became an assistant for Fickell at Cincinnati. Most recently, he was an assistant for the NFL's New York Jets.
