“It’s a dream come true to return to my alma mater Miami as head football coach,” Treadwell said in a statement. “Miami has always held a special place in my heart, and the opportunity to be a part of the ‘Cradle of Coaches’ is a privilege as well as a responsibility.”

Earlier this season, Treadwell took over head coaching duties for MSU when head coach Mark Dantonio suffered a heart attack. Treadwell guided MSU to a 2-0 record under his watch, including the giving Wisconsin its only loss. Treadwell has served as MSU’s offensive coordinator for the last four seasons.

“Don Treadwell will be an outstanding head coach – he comes from a great background of coaches and he’s ready for this position,” Dantonio said in a statement. “He will serve his players well, not only as a coach but as someone they will look up to for the rest of their lives. To go back and do this at his alma mater makes it even more special to him. I know he’s extremely excited for this next challenge in his life.”

“We will miss Don and his family deeply here at Michigan State, and I will miss him personally, but this is his opportunity, his time.

Miami (Ohio) is the defending Mid-American Conference champion. Treadwell replaces former Miami (Ohio) coach Michael Haywood, who was named the head coach at Pittsburgh earlier this month.

“Even prior to this year, there was no question Don Treadwell was prepared for a head coaching job,” Athletics Director Mark Hollis said in a statement. “In the unfortunate situation with Coach Dantonio, he just shined throughout that entire process, not only holding the team together but being the face to represent Michigan State football publicly.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that he has both the football knowledge and the presence to bring a community together to make Miami’s program continue to thrive and get better and better.”

The Spartans play No. 15 Alabama in the Capital One Bowl at 1 p.m. on Saturday.