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Former Washington State receiver Brett Bartolone hired as Jackson State offensive coordinator

Washington State’s Brett Bartolone hauls in a touchdown catch against California in 2012 in Pullman. (Tyler Tjomsland/The Spokesman-Review)
By Colton Clark The Spokesman-Review
Washington State’s Brett Bartolone hauls in a touchdown catch against California in 2012 in Pullman. (Tyler Tjomsland/The Spokesman-Review)

PULLMAN – Brett Bartolone worked his way up the coaching ladder quickly and quietly after an injury-derailed career as a receiver at Washington State in the early days of former coach Mike Leach’s tenure.

Bartolone has been hired to serve as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for fast-rising Jackson State.

JSU head coach and NFL legend Deion Sanders announced the news Tuesday in a video posted to Instagram, during which Bartolone introduced himself.

“You can expect us to score a lot of points,” Bartolone said. “We’re going to be prepared, and to put it quite simply, we’re going to do stuff the defense doesn’t like us to do. We’re going to play fast and we’re going to play super confident, and we’re going to attack the defense.”

Bartolone will install an Air Raid offense at JSU, which went 11-2 and won the SWAC championship last year. He learned the system under Leach while on WSU’s roster in 2012-15.

Bartolone made nine starts as a true freshman in 2012, totaling 435 yards and four touchdowns on a team-high 53 catches. But a shoulder injury put him out of commission for much of his sophomore season. He managed 10 catches in 2013, redshirted in 2014 and didn’t appear in a game as a senior.

While sidelined, he shifted his attention toward coaching and helped WSU’s offensive staff with strategies.

Bartolone worked in an assisting role at Division III St. Lawrence (New York) and coordinated the offense at D-III Carleton College in Minnesota before joining Nevada’s staff as an analyst. He worked for the past two years under Wolf Pack OC Matt Mumme – whose father, Hal, developed the Air Raid offense for years alongside Leach.

JSU, an HBCU school in Mississippi, hired Sanders in September 2020 and has since captivated the college football world, attracting a number of high-level recruits – including the nation’s No. 1 overall prep recruit in cornerback Travis Hunter, who flipped from Florida State. The Tigers have received praise for opening a world of possibilities for HBCU schools and lower-level D-I programs.