MSU Coaching Candidate: Joe Judge

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Mississippi State’s head football coaching search is heating up as Director of Athletics John Cohen is on the road interviewing candidates. Subscribers have been kept up to date on the coaching search with what we know when we get it, but until Cohen makes a hire, we'll be breaking down the candidates in individual profiles. 

New England Patriots wide receivers and special teams coach Joe Judge has emerged as a target for Cohen in the coming hours and days. With his loss on Saturday night in the first round of the playoffs, he’s now immediately available to take on interest from other teams and the Bulldogs are expected to join the fray along with the New York Giants and potentially others.

Judge is 37 years old but a coach that has become a respective individual in the NFL circle and a head coaching position is a matter of when, not if. The road to being a part of several championship teams over the years has been a relatively short one.

The Pennsylvania native was a quarterback for MSU beginning in 2000 brought in by Jackie Sherrill though he spent most of his time as the holder for kicks. His impact would be felt beyond the field as a player, it was realized quickly that he was born to be a coach.

Immediately, Sylvester Croom had Judge on his staff as a graduate assistant from 2005-07 before he accepted his first job with Birmingham-Southern in 2008 as a linebackers coach. While Nick Saban was beginning his dynasty in Tuscaloosa, he had Judge come join his staff and help with special teams from 2009-11 being a part of the first two National Championships of the Saban era at Alabama.

Judge left the college scene in 2012 and became Bill Belichick’s special teams assistant for the Patriots where he’s been since. He took over as special teams coordinator in 2015 and added wide receivers coach to his duties this season. He’s been on three Super Bowl Championship teams.

The coach is married to a former soccer player Amber Meesy and the two have a family of six with four children coming up through the ranks. Sources have indicated that both have expressed their hope to return back to Starkville at some point and Judge has been interested in coaching the Bulldogs. He told MSU’s Alumnus Magazine in 2016, ““MSU has given a lot more to me than I’ve given to it. Hopefully, I’ll be able to return the favor at some point.”

The primary concerns for Judge would be his lack of experience in the head coaching role, first and foremost. There’s also limited experience of recruiting for him as he spent just one year as an on field college coach. But the early thoughts on his staff suggest that Judge will have a heavy southern influence with experience that can alleviate some of those concerns.

No matter how it’s spliced, the Bulldogs are taking a chance with any of the candidates that are rumored. Judge might be one with the highest ceiling. The one thing that Cohen will likely be drawn to the most is the fact that he’s now been hired by two of the best coaches in the game. We’ll see just how much that means to the AD.

Bio:


2005-07: Mississippi State – Graduate Assistant

2008: Birmingham Southern – Linebackers

2009-11: Alabama – Special Teams Assistant

2012-14: New England Patriots – ST Assistant

2015-18: Patriots – ST Coordinator

2019-Present: Patriots – ST Coordinator/Wide Receivers

SOURCE: Faulk, Robbie. "MSU Coaching Candidate: Joe Judge." Gene's Page - 247Sports.com, 5 January 2020, https://247sports.com/college/mississippi-state/Article/MSU-Coaching-Candidate-Joe-Judge--141703827