Football
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Phone:
- 325-2534
Year at MSU: 8th
Twitter: @CoachSallach
Scott Sallach heads into his eighth season as tight ends coach on the Mississippi State staff. Sallach was hired in 2009 by his former teammate, head coach Dan Mullen, after spending the previous 11 seasons in the Ivy League.
Sallach has been a vital part of a staff that has helped MSU reach a school-record six straight bowl games and back-to-back seasons of at least nine victories for the first time in program history. Twenty team single-game and single-season school offensive records have been broken in his tenure.
From 2011-14, Sallach coached Malcolm Johnson, who finished his Bulldog career as one of the most productive tight ends in school history. Johnson caught 79 passes for 1,148 yards and 10 touchdowns in his 45 career games.
Johnson, a freshman All-Southeastern Conference selection in 2011, finished tied for second on the team in touchdowns and managed a team-high 18.7 yards per catch during his rookie year. He was a second-team All-SEC selection as a junior after racking up 390 yards receiving in 2013.
Johnson’s leadership as a team captain in 2014 helped propel the Bulldogs to just the third 10-win season in program history and a berth in the Orange Bowl for the first time in 73 years. A constant threat, Johnson accumulated 380 receiving yards on the year and served as a powerful blocker.
Thanks to Sallach’s guidance, Johnson became the first State tight end since Donald Lee in 2003 to be selected in the NFL Draft. The Cleveland Browns called Johnson’s number with the No. 195 overall pick in the sixth round of the 2015 NFL Draft. He became the highest Bulldog ever to be selected by the Browns and enjoyed an outstanding rookie season.
In 2012, with Johnson sidelined for the first half of the year, Sallach developed Marcus Green’s game, with the redshirt senior finishing with a career-high six touchdowns. Green’s six scores placed him in the SEC’s top five in reception touchdowns by a tight end, while his five in conference play tied him for third among tight ends in the country. His performance during the first part of the season put him on the list for the Mackey Award by midseason. Under Sallach’s direction in 2012, Green was the only tight end in the country to be named Mackey Player of the Week twice.
In his first season of 2009, Green finished second on the team with 27 receptions for 306 yards.
A veteran of more than 19 years coaching on the collegiate level, Sallach came to Mississippi State after a six-year stint at Princeton, where he coached wide receivers and quarterbacks. He’s coached in five bowl games.
He added the title of passing game coordinator prior to the 2008 season at Princeton. During his time at the Ivy League school, he oversaw two of the top four career passing yardage totals and two of the best five season passing yardage efforts as passing game coordinator. He coached two of the top seven all-time receivers at Princeton, and in his six seasons coached nine all-league performers, one of whom was named an All-American.
Before his stop at Princeton, Sallach worked at Dartmouth College for five seasons (1998-2002), Monmouth for three seasons (1995-97) and Hamilton College for one season (1994). At Dartmouth, he coached the wide receivers while assisting with the special teams, specializing in kickoffs and kickoff returns.
During his tenure with the Big Green, the teams set school records for completions in a game and season, and passing yards in a season. His instruction assisted a Dartmouth receiver in becoming the institution’s all-time top pass-catcher for a single game, a season and a career. Sallach also tutored the school’s single season leader in kickoff returns. While at Dartmouth, Sallach’s receivers posted five of the school’s best six single-game receiving totals, the top two single-game and career receivers, and two of the top three career receiving yardage leaders.
Sallach graduated from Ursinus College in 1994 with a bachelor’s of science degree in exercise and sport science.
Sallach is married to his wife Lindi. The couple has two children, Tyler Elizabeth and Rylee Sallach.
Coaching Experience
2009-present: Mississippi State (Tight Ends)
2008: Princeton (Passing Game Coordinator / Wide Receivers / Quarterbacks)
2003-07: Princeton (Wide Receivers / Quarterbacks)
1998-2002: Dartmouth (Wide Receivers / Special Teams)
1995-97: Monmouth (Wide Receivers)
1994: Hamilton (Wide Receivers)
Bowl Games as a Coach
2014: Orange Bowl (MSU)
2013: Liberty Bowl (MSU)
2013: Gator Bowl (MSU)
2011: Music City Bowl (MSU)
2011: Gator Bowl (MSU)
Personal Information
Birthdate: Dec. 13, 1971
Hometown: Bound Brook, N.J.
Education: 1994 – Bachelor’s in Exercise and Sports Science from Ursinus
Wife: Lindi
Children: Tyler Elizabeth, Rylee Sallach
