Longtime MSU assistant Mike Tressel appears headed for Cincinnati

It looks like Michigan State head coach Mel Tucker will be searching for another assistant.

According to a report from Pete Thamel of Yahoo! Sports, Michigan State safeties coach Mike Tressel has agreed to become the defensive coordinator at Cincinnati under Luke Fickell.

Tressel was the linebackers and special teams coach at Cincinnati for three seasons under Mark Dantonio from 2004-06 before leaving to join Dantonio at Michigan State.

Tressel has been with the Spartans ever since, a 14-year run that began as the linebackers coach for the first eight seasons in East Lansing. Tressel was co-defensive coordinator with Harlon Barnett from 2015-17 before becoming the sole defensive coordinator in 2018 when Barnett left for Florida State.

In 2019, Tressel added the duties of assistant head coach.

After Dantonio retired in February of 2020, Tressel was briefly the interim coach and stayed on at Michigan State and became the safeties coach under Tucker, being reunited with Barnett, who returned to coach cornerbacks under new defensive coordinator Scottie Hazelton.

Tressel and Fickell have a history working together as both were on the Ohio State staff under Jim Tressel. From 2002-03, Mike Tressel was a graduate assistant linebackers coach for the Buckeyes while Fickell coached special teams.

Another longtime Dantonio assistant, Dave Warner, became offensive coordinator at UTEP last week.

mcharboneau@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @mattcharboneau