After an honored playing career and five more years coaching Vanderbilt football, Chris Marve will join Joe Moorhead's staff as linebackers coach

Within a day of his linebackers coach leaving for professional football, Joe Moorhead has found his next new assistant for 2019. Steve Robertson of GenesPage247 is reporting Chris Marve will be moving to Mississippi State after a long stint as both player and coach at Vanderbilt.

A Mississippi State official would not confirm this hiring, but not deny it either.

He would fill the position held for one season by Tem Lukabu, who is returning to the NFL, with Cincinnati.

Marve has served as inside linebackers coach at his alma mater for the past three seasons. This was following two other years as a Commodore staff member, defensive graduate assistant in 2015 and defensive quality control in ’14.

A native of Fort Worth who grew up in Memphis and played at White Station High School, Marve will turn 30 on March 1. He was recruited out of the Memphis area by Bobby Johnson and played two years for him, then for a year with interim coach Robbie Caldwell before a senior season under James Franklin. That last year he was on a defense coordinated by Bob Shoop, now running the Bulldog defense for Moorhead.

Marve also got to work under Shoop for a season.

He was recognized by 24/7 Sports as one of the ’30 Under 30 Coaches’ in college football for 2017. This was after he helped turn Zach Cunningham into a 2016 first-team All-American after leading the SEC in tackles. He was a second-day selection of Houston in the ’17 draft.

Following the 2017 season another of Marve’s linebackers, Oren Burks, was drafted by Green Bay. This past year his senior leader Jordan Griffin was 4thin SEC tackles, while freshman inside linebacker Dimitri Moore was 20thin league stops.

One of the most-recognized Commodore football players ever Marve is a 2011 alumnus with a degree in sociology and human organizational development. He holds a masters in higher education administration from the Peabody School.

All this came after a stellar playing career that earned All-Southeastern Conference honors all four of his varsity seasons in Nashville. He was a Freshman All-American in 2008 and played in the Music City Bowl; then in his sophomore season was second-team Coaches All-SEC averaging over ten tackles per game.

It was in 2009 he played his only game against Mississippi State. That was a Bulldog victory for Dan Mullen’s team in Nashville, despite a game-best 15 total tackles by Marve.

In 2010 he was again Coaches all-conference and a team defensive captain. He capped the playing career in 2011 as a first-team All-SEC by both Associated Press and Coaches, and was able to play his last college game in his hometown at the Liberty Bowl. Marve still ranks #8 in career tackles at the school he stayed at to coach for five more years. Now he makes the move to the SEC West Division.

He has only coached against Mississippi State one time, with his Vandy defense steamrolled by the Dak Prescott Bulldogs 51-0 in 2014.

This is the fifth position assistant Moorhead has been able to replace from his first Mississippi State staff. The other transitions for 2019 are: Tony Hughes for Mark Hudspeth as tight ends coach; Deke Adams for Brian Baker defensive line; Michael Johnson for Luke Getsy wide receivers; Terry Richardson for Charles Huff running backs.

Hudspeth left to become a head coach; Baker and Huff were hired by Alabama before spring signing day; and now Getsy and Lukabu have returned to the NFL.

Mississippi State begins spring football practices March 5.