Andrew Bindelglass earns long-awaited promotion to Michigan State Rush Ends Coach

After years of patience, persistence, and honest feedback from defensive coordinator Joe Rossi, Andrew Bindelglass has finally earned the opportunity to run his own room.

Heading into the season, Bindelglass has been promoted to rush ends coach on Rossi’s staff after serving as assistant linebackers coach last year. The promotion, he said, fulfills a longtime goal.

“Running a room, especially at this level, has been a goal of mine for a long, long time,” Bindelglass said. “I put in a lot of work behind the scenes.”

Bindelglass spent five seasons with Rossi at Minnesota, working as a graduate assistant and in defensive quality control, before joining him at Michigan State. He credits much of his growth to Rossi’s straightforward approach to development.

“One of the things I value most about him is that he is always invested in helping people develop, and he has always been very honest with me,” Bindelglass said.

Positions like this had come open before, but he didn’t get them. Each time, Rossi would sit him down and deliver clear feedback: why he wasn’t selected, what he was missing, and exactly what he needed to work on.

That honesty kept Bindelglass motivated through the wait. When the promotion finally arrived, he was fired up - but immediately focused on proving he belonged.

“You work for a really long time to get something you really want,” he explained. “Once you get it, what do you do? To me, I have to prove that I deserve it. That’s what drives me to be the best I can be.”

Bindelglass said he could talk at length about Rossi’s strengths as a coach and person. One lesson in particular has stayed with him: the people who make the biggest impact are those willing to give honest feedback because they genuinely care.

“We talk a lot as a defense about staying positive,” Bindelglass said. “But positive doesn’t mean everything is great all the time, because that’s not real life. The people who truly care about you enough to tell you the truth about your strengths and deficiencies - and then help put a plan in place to address them - those are the people who have the greatest positive impact on your life.”

Despite significant roster turnover this offseason, Bindelglass said his rush ends group has meshed quickly and shown strong chemistry.

“I’m really pleased with the room,” he said. “There’s a lot of good energy. They work hard, they’re eager to learn, and they’re eager to help each other.”

He especially appreciates how the players coach one another.

“I can be making a coaching point to one guy, and I can hear the other three...