Marcus Yokeley begins his fourth year as the Bears’ defensive coordinator--and first working with the Missouri State linebackers--after helping lay the foundation for future success by mentoring a young MSU defense in his first three seasons in Springfield.
Under Yokeley’s guidance, the Bears continued to make strides on the defensive side of the line of scrimmage in 2017. MSU's pass defense ranked sixth in the MVFC during league play, yielding an average of 228.9 yards per game. Individually, Angelo Garbutt and defensive lineman Colby Isbell earned second-team all-conference laurels, while defensive back Darius Joseph was an honorable mention All-MVFC choice.
A deep 2016 Missouri State defense logged statistical improvements across the board to help the Bears post a three-win improvement. MSU's run defense improved by an average of 118 yards per outing in 2016, while the Bears' gave up 105 fewer yards per game overall as a unit. Consensus first-team All-American Dylan Cole thrived in Yokeley's system, leading the nation in total tackles (12.9) en route to being named a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award.
The 2015 Bears transitioned to a 4-3 defense, relying on a core group that included five freshman and eight sophomore starters. In all, seven of MSU’s top 10 tacklers were first or second-year players, including All-MVFC honoree Jared Beshore.
Yokeley, who worked with the Bears' cornerbacks during his first three years on staff, spent a total of six years over two stints at Lindenwood. Prior to that, the Marshall, Mo., product served as defensive coordinator at Avila in 2011.
A former all-conference defensive back for Truman State, Yokeley was a two-time team captain for the Bulldogs before earning his undergraduate degree in psychology from the school in 2006. He worked as Lindenwood's secondary coach, special teams coordinator and assistant head coach while earning his master’s degree in education with an emphasis in strength and conditioning. In his first two years as a full-time assistant, the Lions went 21-4, captured the HAAC title and advanced to the NAIA playoffs each season.
Yokeley joined Missouri's staff as a graduate assistant, working on both sides of the ball and assisting with the coordination of the Tigers’ camps, film evaluation and scouting operations.
