OSU Football: Eric Morris Adds Jordan Malone, Ethan Russo to Staff

The Cowboys’ coaching staff continues to take shape.

Oklahoma State head coach Eric Morris added Jordan Malone as his new defensive backs coach and Ethan Russo as Executive Director of Player Development the university announced on Tuesday.

Morris has direct working experience with both additions. Malone worked him at both Washington State and North Texas and Russo worked with him at UNT the last two seasons.

Over his 20-year coaching career, Malone has spent most of that time coaching defensive backs or linebackers. The Minnesota State graduate made the rounds at lower-level schools before taking a job as a defensive analyst at Washington State in 2020. He took a job coaching cornerbacks there in 2021 before coaching safeties and Nickels from 2022-23. Wazzu elevated him to Defensive Passing Game Coordinator in 2023. Morris hired him as an assistant coach and Nickels/Outside Linebackers coach at North Texas last season.

Russo started as a student manager at TCU in 2015 and then filled various support roles for the Cleveland Browns and Indianapolis Colts in the NFL before stops at Rice, Utah and UNLV in player personnel. He landed at North Texas as Assistant Director of Player Personnel in 2023 before taking the Director role in 2024. Russo spent last season in that role at Wisconsin before Morris scooped him up to head to Stillwater.

There will be more additions to come. This news comes just a day after OSU announced the hiring or two other defensive staff members, corners coach Julian Wilson and linebackers coach Reggie Johnson.