EAST LANSING — Amidst a flurry of recruiting news and the recent commitment of another Mel Tucker target, Kevin Vickerson— a former Spartan defensive tackle and 11-year NFL veteran— joined the coaching staff to work underneath Ron Burton as an assistant defensive line coach. 

Vickerson, who graduated from MSU with a degree in criminal justice, spent 11 years in the league as an interior defensive end with the Kansas City Chiefs, their division rival the Denver Broncos, the Tennessee Titans, the Seattle Seahawks, the New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins.

“Looking for someone to help you get to the next level?” a tweet from the MSU football program announcing the addition of Vickerson to the staff reads.

Looking for someone to help you get to the next level?
We have an 11-year NFL veteran and #SpartanDawg, @VickersonKevin in our defensive line room alongside @CoachRonBurton ‼️ pic.twitter.com/hK4CSBISoB

— Michigan State Football (@MSU_Football) April 30, 2020

The Detroit native started 11 games during his final season in 2004, amassing 46 tackles and 4.5 sacks. 

He finished his collegiate career with 113 total tackles, 24.5 for a loss, 8.5 sacks, a fumble recovery and two blocked kicks across 44 games played. 

Vickerson was drafted in the seventh round of the 2005 NFL Draft —much like current MSU senior and defensive end Kenny Willekes—by the then-Nick Saban led Dolphins. 

He tore his ACL that preseason and didn’t appear in a single regular season game during his first two years with the Dolphins.

As an edge rusher, Vickerson finished his NFL career with 165 total tackles, 6.5 sacks, 12 pass deflections, two forced fumbles and an interception. He last played in the NFL for the Jets in 2015.

He joins Burton as an assistant, where he will likely focus on helping the edge rushers like Drew Beesley —who showed a lot of promise last season— and second-year starter Jacub Panasiuk who helped get him into the NFL. 

You can follow Joe Dandron on Twitter @JosephDandronMI.