MISSOULA — Shann Schillinger is taking his talents to SEC country.
Schillinger, Montana's safeties coach, has been hired to be a defensive analyst for Mississippi State's football team. Skyline Sports first reported the news Friday morning and a spokesman for UM confirmed the news with MTN Sports, saying Schillinger's last day with the UM football program is Feb. 28.
Schillinger, a Baker native, has been UM's safeties coach since 2016. Prior to that, he spent time as a special teams assistant at Nebraska and also spent time as an assistant coach at NAIA Dickinson State in North Dakota.
Schillinger, 35, was a standout player at Baker High School before playing for the Grizzlies from 2006-09. Schillinger was a first-team All-Big Sky safety for Montana in 2009 and was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. he played with the Falcons from 2010-13 and with the Tennessee Titans in 2013 before entering the coaching realm.
Schillinger won't be the lone Montanan on Mississippi State's coaching staff either. Fairfield native Tucker Meyer, who is also a former UM assistant, was hired as a grad assistant in 2020 and is still there as a defensive coach.
Schillinger is the first coaching change for UM since the conclusion of the 2021 season.
Mississippi State is coached by Mike Leach, who was previously at Washington State and Texas Tech. Mississippi State went 7-6 in 2021 and 4-4 in SEC play.
