Mullen Completes Coaching Staff Vacancies with D.J. Looney and Brett Elliott

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI/MSU Athletics) – Mississippi State head football coach Dan Mullen announced the hiring of two new members to the Bulldog coaching staff on Wednesday.

• Brett Elliott, former MSU offensive quality control specialist and offensive coordinator at Texas State and James Madison, has been named quarterbacks coach.
• D.J. Looney, former Bulldog offensive lineman and graduate assistant at Georgia and MSU, has been tabbed tight ends coach.
• Former MSU tight ends coach Scott Sallach has been named MSU Director of Player Personnel.

“We are thrilled to bring Brett and D.J. back to Starkville,” Mullen said. “They understand the winning tradition that has been established here and will be significant assets to our offense both on the field and in recruiting.”

Elliott is no stranger to Starkville after serving as an offensive graduate assistant (2012-13) and offensive quality control specialist (2014) for some of the most successful Bulldog teams in history. He played a critical role in the quarterback room, working closely with MSU legend Dak Prescott and current Bulldog quarterback Nick Fitzgerald in his true freshman season.

“I am extremely thankful to Coach Mullen for providing me with this unbelievable opportunity to come back to the great state of Mississippi and coach quarterbacks at Mississippi State,” Elliott said.

Elliott coached on the first team in MSU history to reach the No. 1 ranking, a spot it spent for five straight weeks in 2014. That squad reached its first Orange Bowl since 1941, set 22 school records and became the first Bulldog team to lead the SEC in total offense since 1982, putting up a school-record 513.8 yards per game.

Elliott returns to MSU after spending the 2016 season as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Texas State. Prior to his stint in San Marcos, he excelled as the co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at James Madison in 2015 when he coached the Colonial Athletic Association Offensive Player of the Year, Vad Lee.

Lee led the nation in total offense with 375.5 yards per game and completion percentage of 68.3 percent.  He passed for 2,190 yards and 21 touchdowns and rushed for 814 yards and eight scores. Lee also became the only player in NCAA Division I history (FCS and FBS) to pass and run for 275 yards in the same game when he threw for 289 yards and rushed for 275 yards in James Madison’s 48-45 victory over SMU on Sept. 26, 2015. He also earned the “Bill Dudley Award” for the second straight year as the top player in Virginia.

The Dukes had one of the top offenses in the nation in 2015 and ranked second in scoring and total offense with 44.3 points and 528.8 yards per game. The team led the FCS in third-down conversions with 54 percent, while ranking fourth in pass completion percentage with 66.9 percent, seventh in rushing with 273.8 yards per game and ninth in red-zone scoring with 89.4 percent. JMU also set a school record with 6,345 yards of total offense after rushing for 3,285 yards and passing for 3,060 yards.

Elliott played quarterback for two seasons at Utah, including the 2003 campaign under Mullen. After suffering a wrist injury, he transferred to Linfield College where he was named All-American twice and led the Wildcats to the 2004 NCAA Division III National Championship. He won the Gagliardi Trophy and Melberger Award in 2005, which is given to the top player in Division III.

After signing as a free agent with the San Diego Chargers, Elliott played for the Rhein Fire of NFL Europe and was under contract with the San Jose Sabercats of the Arena League when the league halted operations in 2008. He also played in the Arena League and was a starter for the Utah Blaze in 2010 and Georgia Force in 2011.

A native of Lake Oswego, Ore., Elliott earned his degree from Linfield College in 2005.

Looney returns to Starkville after serving as an offensive graduate assistant at Georgia during the 2016 campaign. Prior to that, Looney held the position of tackles and tight ends coach at Central Arkansas for two seasons (2014-15). The Bears went 7-2 in 2015 in the Southland Conference, finishing tied for second in the league.

“I am excited to come home to Mississippi State,” Looney said. “Every coach dreams of coaching at their alma mater one day. I am grateful to Coach Mullen and the administration for this opportunity, and I am glad to be a Bulldog.”

Looney was the offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator at East Mississippi Community College where his team won a national championship in his second and final season in 2013. He spent the 2012 and 2013 seasons in that role. The Birmingham, Ala., native played a key role in helping guide the Lions’ potent offensive unit to a No. 8 NJCAA team statistical national ranking in rushing offense in 2012 (239.1 ypg) and No. 8 in 2013 (253.5 ypg).

Looney got his coaching start as an offensive graduate assistant on Mullen’s staff in 2011 that won the Music City Bowl. The former three-year Bulldog letterman worked with the Bulldogs’ offensive linemen and quarterbacks in addition to assisting with MSU’s special teams.

During his undergraduate days at MSU, Looney was associated with two bowl-game winning teams as an offensive lineman. As a redshirt freshman, the 2007 Bulldogs claimed a 10-3 Liberty Bowl victory over UCF. He was on Mullen’s 2010 State squad that earned a 52-14 Gator Bowl triumph over Michigan.

Looney was just as active off the field as a collegian, serving three years as an SEC Student Advisory Council Representative. After serving as vice president of MSU’s Campus Student Advisory Council in 2008, he was elevated to the president’s position the following year.  Looney was also a three-year member of the NCAA Football Issues Committee.

He graduated from MSU with a Bachelor of Arts and Sciences degree in 2010.

Elliott Coaching Experience 
2017-present: Mississippi State (Quarterbacks)
2016: Texas State (Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks)
2015: James Madison (Co-offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks)
2014: Mississippi State (Offensive Quality Control)
2012-13: Mississippi State (Offensive Graduate Assistant)

Elliott Personal Information 
Birthdate: June 11, 1982
Hometown: Lake Oswego, Ore.
Education: 2005 – Bachelor of Arts in mass communication (Linfield College)

Looney Coaching Experience
2017-present: Mississippi State (Tight Ends)
2016: Georgia (Offensive Graduate Assistant)
2014-15: Central Arkansas (Tackles/Tight Ends)
2012-13: East Mississippi Community College (Offensive Line/Recruiting Coordinator)
2011: Mississippi State (Offensive Graduate Assistant)

Looney Personal Information
Birthdate: Dec. 26, 1988
Hometown: Birmingham, Ala.
Education: 2010 – Bachelor of Arts and Sciences (Mississippi State)