Former MSU quarterback Dan Enos is returning to the football team after being named the new quarterbacks coach Thursday, filling the vacancy created when Doug Nussmeier left to join the NFL's St. Louis Rams.

Enos was a two-year starter during his time in East Lansing, and led the team to a 16-7-1 record and two bowl wins.

"Dan is a good fit because of his background; he grew up in the state and played here at Michigan State," head coach John L. Smith said in a written statement. "However, those factors had little or nothing to do with him being hired. The bottom line is that Dan sold himself during the interview process."

The 37-year-old coach spent the last two seasons as quarterbacks coach at Cincinnati. His coaching experience also includes three seasons as an MSU graduate assistant under then-coach George Perles from 1991-93.

"I'm excited about the opportunity to return to Michigan State," Enos said in a press release. "This has been a dream and a goal of mine since I broke into the coaching profession as a graduate assistant in 1991."

As a four-year letter winner from 1987-1990, Enos compiled statistics that rank him in MSU's all-time Top 10 in pass attempts, pass completions, completion percentage, passing yards and total yards.

Having the opportunity to coach quarterback Drew Stanton was one of the positives about taking the position, Enos said. Stanton threw for 3,077 yards and 22 touchdowns as a junior in 2005.

"He's an outstanding player and a great competitor," Enos said.

"Drew has all the intangibles, so I look forward to working with him and helping him experience a special senior year."