Minnesota Football: Gophers to hire Paul Haynes to coach cornerbacks

Sports Illustrated’s Pete Thamel is reporting that Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck is expected to hire Paul Haynes as the Gophers’ new cornerbacks coach, replacing Rod Chance after he departed to take the same position at Oregon.

Haynes spent the last two seasons as the secondary coach at Michigan State under Mark Dantonio, who retired earlier this month. The Spartans’ new head coach, Mel Tucker, opted not to retain any of Dantonio’s coaching staff. In the last two seasons in East Lansing, Haynes has coached at least three NFL draft picks, with cornerback Justin Layne going in the third round last year and safety Khari Willis selected in the fourth round. Cornerback Josiah Scott, who declared for the NFL Draft in December, is expected to be selected between the third and fifth rounds.

Prior to Michigan State, Haynes was the head coach at Kent State for five seasons, but was fired after amassing a 14-45 overall record. He has spent nearly 30 years in the coaching profession, with stints at Arkansas, Ohio State, and Louisville, among others.