Dowagiac’s Mark Staten has been promoted by Michigan State football head coach Mark Dantonio.

Staten, who is entering his 11th season at Michigan State and his 14th as a full-time assistant under Dantonio, has been promoted to assistant head coach/recruiting coordinator.

Staten, a former Miami of Ohio standout, will also maintain his position as offensive line coach, which he has held with the Spartans since 2011.

“Mark has been on my staff for 14 years, including the past 11 at Michigan State,” Dantonio said. “He has provided stability and consistency to our program and has displayed incredible growth throughout his time at MSU. He has performed a number of different roles and has gone above and beyond with every task he has been given. Mark also has built positive relationships with our players since he started here. He has a bright future ahead of him as he continues his development as a coach.

“As recruiting coordinator during his first four years, Mark helped bring in some the most important classes we’ve had in the progression of our program, and he will continue to bring that same energy and passion to lead the next great group of recruiting classes to Michigan State.”

Staten was a four-year defensive line starter for Miami of Ohio. He was All-Mid-American Conference his senior season and was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals, where he was a member of the practice squad.

He was added to the New England Patriots’ roster at the conclusion of the 1993 season and part of the 1994 year.

He was drafted by the Barcelona Dragons of the World Football League in 1995, but sustained a career-ending knee injury.

Staten’s coaching career began in 1999 as an assistant at Crespi Carmelite High School in Encino, California. He became a graduate assistant at Miami of Ohio in 2001.

Staten was a graduate assistant at Ohio State University from 2002 to 2003 where Dantonio was the defensive coordinator. The Buckeyes won the 2002 national championship.

He joined Dantonio’s staff at Cincinnati in 2004 where he was the tight ends/tackles coach and recruiting coordinator for the Bearcats.

He followed Dantonio and seven other assistant coaches to East Lansing in 2006.

He started his Michigan State career as the tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator.

In 2009, Staten put together a recruiting class that was ranked in the Top 25 in four different publications and followed that up with a Top 30 recruiting class that would build the foundation for the Spartans.

Those teams would go on to produce the winningest stretch in Michigan State football history by going 36-5 from 2013 to 2015 and winning two Big Ten championships (2013, 2015), wins in the 2014 Rose Bowl and 2015 Cotton Bowl and earning a spot in the 2015 College Football Playoff.

Staten and his wife, Dana, have two sons, Quinn and Maximus.