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The man that Mississippi State football coach Dan Mullen once called "the best strength coach in football" has decided to leave the Bulldog coaching staff to take a similar position at the University of Connecticut according to confirmations from university spokespersons from Mississippi State and UConn Thursday.
Matt Balis, who came to Mississippi State in 2009, had worked with Mullen for five years in Starkville, and he also worked with Mullen for two years at the University of Utah.
The Huskies, who introduced a new staff headed up by Bob Diaco earlier this week, will have a bit of Mississippi flavor to their coaching staff. Including Balis, who worked at Mississippi State, Co-Defensive Coordinator Vincent Brown (Mississippi Valley State) and Ernest Jones (Alcorn State), the running backs coach, have ties to the Magnolia State.
Earlier in the week, Paul Jones gained confirmation from Mullen that running back Derrick Milton had asked for a release from the Bulldog program.
MSU coach Dan Mullen confirms that soph tailback Derrick Milton has asked for release. McNeese St. is where Milton expects to transfer to
— Paul Jones (@PJ247Sports) January 9, 2014
