East Lansing - When Michigan State decided to make a move on its staff and bring in a new defensive line coach, more production in recruiting was one of the biggest reasons.
And just hours into his new job, Ron Burton was busy working potential recruits at Michigan State's basketball game against Michigan on Tuesday. The cut-ups and analysis of the current defensive linemen would have to wait, Burton was busy working on the future.
In the days since then, Burton has been doing his own version of cramming while trying to settle in as the replacement for Ted Gill, whose contract was not renewed.
"I can't complain," Burton said. "I've been going 100 miles per hour. But we're fine with that, it's just part of it. It's just the start."
Burton comes to Michigan State after 10 years as the defensive line coach at Air Force. He has also coached at Indiana, Eastern Michigan and Grand Valley State after playing four seasons in the NFL.
While he had no previous relationship with any of the coaches on Michigan State's staff, it was a trip to East Lansing a year ago by the Air Force staff that first established a relationship.
"We had the opportunity to meet last year when we did some professional development," Burton said. "We got a chance to visit with the staff and just talked a lot of football."
It's something that happens often these days as defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi has built one of the top defenses in the country.
It was a big reason the Air Force coaches wanted to check things out, and a huge reason Burton was so excited at the opportunity to come to Michigan State.
"Coach Narduzzi's defense has done very well and that is why a lot of coaches come here to visit," Burton said. "It has shown over time since he's been here and they have steadily improved with that defense. It's a good place to be because of what he's asking these guys to do and their execution of it. We've seen that from afar and now I'm getting it up close."
In his first week on the job, Burton has not only been diving into the defense, he's been working hard to become familiar with the players he'll have along the defensive line. He's met with them a couple of times and has been encouraged by their openness to a new coach coming into the mix.
"Over time I'll earn their trust and they'll earn mine," he said, "but that doesn't happen overnight."
Burton must also deal with shifting his family from the Colorado Springs area. His two eldest sons, Ronald and Ryan, are set to graduate from college, while his daughter, Roya, is about to graduate from high school. His youngest son, Reid, is finishing up his ninth-grade year.
"They're gonna come up and visit here on their spring break," Burton said. "Visit some schools, things like that. But they're fired up for dad. We've always been strong as a group and do what's best for the family and thought this was definitely a good place to be."
Michigan State hopes it made the right move, as well, and Burton is eager to prove the Spartans made the right call.
"They have a good system here and I'm glad to be a part of it," he said. "They've had some great defenses here and some great teams. We just want to improve on that. I'm very anxious, that's for sure."
mcharboneau@detroitnews.com
twitter.com/mattcharboneau
Source: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130217/SPORTS0202/302170346/1132/rss18
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