Courtesy of Mississippi State Athletics
Mississippi State University Head football coach Jeff Lebby announced Monday that he is adding Phil Loadholt (Assistant Coach/Offensive Line), Vincent Dancy (Assistant Coach/Defensive Ends & Outside Linebackers), and Paul Rhoads (Senior Defensive Analyst) to the coaching staff of the SEC school. Vincent Dancy was the head coach of HBCU Mississippi Valley State University from 2018-2022.
Loadholt and Dancy will come to the SEC after spending the 2024 season as assistant coaches at Colorado. The duo quickly showcased their ability to recruit top talent and develop players during their short time in Boulder.
Dancy’s defensive ends helped the Buffaloes lead the Big 12 in both sacks and tackles for loss while ranking 13th and 16th nationally in those categories, respectively. Colorado’s defense also led the Big 12 and ranked 12th nationally in Coaches By The Numbers’ Defensive Mayhem rating, which accounts for sacks, tackles for loss, interceptions, and fumbles gained. The Buffaloes also boasted the Big 12’s top pass-rushing grade as a team as well as the conference’s top two graded individual pass rushers in 2024 according to PFF.
Dancy, a Shuqualak, Mississippi, native and standout player at Noxubee County High School, joined Deion Sanders’ first staff at Colorado in 2023 as an analyst before being elevated to defensive ends coach a year later. Prior to his time in Boulder, he spent eight seasons as an HBCU football head coach at Mississippi Valley State including the last five (2018-22) as head coach. He served as the program’s defensive coordinator during his first three seasons (2015-17) with the Delta Devils.
Dancy has been considered one of the rising stars in college coaching. Before landing this role in the SEC, his coaching career began at his HBCU alma mater Jackson State. He coached for five seasons (2009-13) before a one-year stint at Paine College. Dancy was an All-SWAC linebacker at Jackson State from 2002-05.
“As a native Mississippian and long-time experienced coach inside our great state, Vincent is incredibly connected and carries a tremendous amount of respect inside our recruiting footprint,” Lebby said. “His relationships, recruiting ties and defensive coaching prowess will make an instant impact on our program, and I’m thrilled for him to become a part of the Mississippi State Family.”
“Mississippi is home,” Dancy said. “Growing up here, I’m well aware of the well-documented history of defensive excellence at Mississippi State. I couldn’t be more fired up to return to this great state – a place that means so much to me and my family. Thank you to Coach Lebby for this opportunity to join his incredible staff. I’m excited about the future in Starkville.”