MSU Football: Coaching Staff Round-Up

It’s hard to believe that it has only been month since the 2025 season ended for Michigan State. Since the 38-28 victory over Maryland at Ford Field, MSU football has been an absolute whirlwind. Coach

Pat Fitzgerald was announced as the next Spartan Head Coach on December 2nd, and since then he has been busy bringing in recruits, transfers, and perhaps most importantly, a brand new staff of assistant coaches. Now that the entire coaching staff has been filled out, join me in taking a closer look into who will be on the sidelines for the 2026 Michigan State Spartans.

Offense 

Offensive Coordinator: Nick Sheridan

• Age: 37
• Previous Role: Co-Offensive Coordinator and QBs Coach 
• Previous School: University of Alabama 

Kicking things off on the offensive side of the ball, Coach Fitz takes a trip down south to Tuscaloosa to grab the Co-OC and QBs Coach from the Crimson Tide. The Saline, MI native started his coaching career at his alma mater, Saline High School, in 2010, before working with the quarterbacks at Western Kentucky and South Florida. After the USF staff was dismissed in 2014, Sheridan packed up for Knoxville to work for a storied SEC program in Tennessee, as a Graduate Assistant. As a Volunteer, Sheridan worked with standout Quarterback Josh Dobbs, who threw for 7,138 yards at UT, and was selected in the 2017 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Sheridan’s next gig would take him to Bloomington, where he would coach from 2017-2021 as a QBs coach, Tight Ends coach, and eventually the Offensive Coordinator and playcaller for the Hoosiers. Indiana was also where Sheridan would first connect with now-HC of Alabama, Kalen DeBoer. Both Sheridan and Deboer worked extensively with current Atlanta Falcons Quarterback Michael Penix Jr., not only in his time at Indiana but also once the trio made the move to the Washington Huskies. And finally, on February 20, 2024, it was announced that Sheridan would be following DeBoer from Washington to Alabama to become the team’s new Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks coach. 

In his first season for the Tide, Sheridan called the shots for a Crimson Tide offense that averaged 33.8 points per game, good for third in the SEC and 22nd nationally in 2024. This year, Sheridan shifted in his role to co-OC, as Ryan Grubb was brought in to handle most of Bama’s playcalling duties. Sheridan still served as QBs coach, helping nurture and develop young star gunslinger Ty Simpson who had an impressive season at the helm of the Alabama offense. Following an 11-4 season and Rose Bowl appearance, Sheridan has decided to head north to East Lansing for the upcoming 2026 season. 

Now, to the elephant (or wolverine) in the room. Coach Sheridan spent his own college football playing career in Ann Arbor. He walked on to uofm in 2006, and earned a scholarship going into his junior season, before starting four games in 2008. 

Purely based on his resume, Sheridan is more than qualified for this position. Coach Fitzgerald remarked upon the hiring of his new OC, “He has worked with some of the best offensive coaches and quarterbacks in the country the past few years, and is an experienced and knowledgeable play caller who emphasizes balance and physicality. He also has a track record of developing quarterbacks at a high level.” 

Quarterbacks Coach: Mike Bajakian 

• Age: 51 
• Previous Role: Offensive Coordinator and QBs Coach
• Previous School: University of Massachusetts 

Next up for the offense is another coach who has been around the football world in a variety of roles. The 51 year old Mike Bajakian has had stops everywhere from Cincinnati, Central Michigan, and Utah to in the NFL with the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Bucaneers. His most recent role as Offensive Coordinator at UMass has caused some skepticism, as the Minutemen were one of the worst performing teams in the NCAA in 2025. However, similarly to Sheridan, Bajakian has a great track record of developing quality Quarterbacks, and will take on a familiar role at MSU as the QBs Coach, a role that he has been largely successful in. 

Bajakian will reunite with both Sheridan and Fitzgerald in East Lansing. The new QBs Coach was also on Tennessee’s staff in 2014, as Offensive Coordinator and QBs Coach. As a playcaller, Bajakian not only worked with and was a mentor for Nick Sheridan, but he also lead Josh Dobbs and the Vols to their first bowl win since 2007, winning the 2015 TaxSlayer Bowl. In 2020, Coach Fitzgerald hired Bajakian away from Boston College to come serve in the same OC and QBs role for the Wildcats. With Coach Fitz at NU, Bajakian coached QB Peyton Ramsey, who had an outstanding shortened season for Northwestern and was named the 2021 Citrus Bowl MVP. 

Also of note, Bajakian was the Quarterbacks Coach for the Tampa Bay Bucaneers during Jameis Winston’s 4,000 yard passing season. 

Bajakian was one of the most experienced QB coaches on the market. Beyond just experience, he brings a degree of alignment and familiarity with both his new Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator. As Pat Fitzgerald described him: “Coach Bajakian has coached at the highest levels of football, and his knowledge of offensive schemes and personnel will elevate our entire program!” His first task? Develop and unlock the full potential shown by young QB Alessio Milivojevic towards the end of the 2025 season. 

Running Backs: Devon Spalding

• Age: 29
• Previous Role: Running Backs Coach
• Previous School: University of Wisconsin

Coaching the Michigan State backfield in 2026 will be the young Devon Spalding. The Canton, MI native transitioned to coaching after a four year career playing both RB and Wide Receiver at Central Michigan from 2014-18. His first job would be as an offensive graduate assistant for the Cincinnati Bearcats. After one season in Cincy, he earned the RBs job at Youngstown State, where he would quickly be seen as a high riser for his work in developing the NCAA’s all-time leading rusher Jaleel McLaughlin- a former DII back who earned his way into the NFL Draft and now plays for the Denver Broncos. 

In 2023, Spalding joined Luke Fickell (his former boss at Cincinnati) in Madison as Wisconsin’s new RBs Coach. While he only coached current NFL-er Braelon Allen for one year, Allen cited Devon Spalding as pivotal in his development, especially in learning the new offensive scheme that Fickell would be bringing with him. This ability to simplify playbooks for easier learning curvers that Spalding has could prove incredibly helpful for MSU’s running back room that will undoubtedly be full of new faces in 2026. 

In his last two years at Wisconsin, Spalding established himself for having a real talent for recruiting high level RBs. He was credited heavily for landing two four star running backs in his three years coaching the Badgers, and at a time held commitments from two other high profile 4 star backs. While the on-field results were certainly underwhelming in terms of Wisconsin’s running game a year ago, stats don’t tell the whole story. An early injury to Badger starting QB Billy Edwards Jr. caused the signal caller to miss nearly the entire season, and made the Wisco offensive attack completely one-dimensional. 

Coach Fitz hits on Spalding’s strengths in his following statement: “Coach Spalding has mentored elite running backs throughout his career and brings a strong understanding of the Midwest recruiting landscape!” 

Tight Ends: (Retaining) Brian Wozniak

• Age: 34
• Years at MSU: 2

As far as the Tight Ends go, Pat Fitzgerald has chosen to retain Brian Wozniak. Wozniak, who came with Jonathan Smith from Oregon State after the 2022 season, spent six years with Smith out west for the Beavers before heading to East Lansing. He put two OSU TEs into the NFL in Luke Musgrave (Packers) and Teagan Quitoriano (Texans), and has spent the last two years at State mentoring Jack Velling (who Mel Kiper is predicting as a potential late round draft pick), Michael Masunas (now a Texas Longhorn) along with several others. 

Wozniak will have his work cut out for him in the portal this off-season, with the only returners (as of today) being the sparingly used Brennan Parachek, Jayden Savoury, Wyatt Hook and Kai Rios. 

Wide Receivers (Retaining) Courtney Hawkins

• Age: 56
• Years at MSU: 5

Likely the most popular coaching staff hire (not named Max Bullough), Courtney Hawkins will enter his sixth season at the helm of the wideout position for the Spartans. Hawkins came to Michigan State in February 2020 after a 14-year stint as the Head Coach and Athletic Director at Beecher High School, and is a nine-year NFL veteran. Despite only seeing one winning season in his time as a coach at State, Hawkins has consistently produced NFL and All-Big Ten talent under several different Head Coaches. First under Mel Tucker, then the interim HC Harlon Barnett, Jonathan Smith, and now Pat Fitzgerald, Hawkins has proven a steady hand in both the player development and recruiting world. 

From developing guys like Keon Coleman to Jayden Reed and Jalen Nailor, Hawkins has led the WR room to several productive seasons regardless of overall team performance. However, he will face arguably the most challenging offseason in his tenure at MSU in 2026. Nick Marsh has portaled to Indiana, Omari Kelly declared for the NFL Draft, and Chrishon McCray, Evan Boyd, and Shawn Foster all have announced their intent to hit the transfer portal. That leaves very little returning production for an all-important WR room for young returning QB Alessio Milivojevic to utilize. 

Offensive Line: Nick Tabacca

• Age: 44
• Previous Role: Offensive Line Coach
• Previous School: Wake Forest 

And now, the all-important O-Line coach position. As Spartan fans have seen in the last few years, improved Offensive Line play is absolutely paramount in getting back to what Michigan State Football can be. Coach Fitzgerald believes the ten-year veteran of Wake Forest’s OL room will be the man for the job. Tabacca joined the staff at Wake in 2014, and enjoyed ten years of success before a brief retirement after the 2024 season. Wake Forest, not a traditional ACC power, reached new heights during Tabacca’s tenure, setting nearly 400 school records including points, points per game, total offensive yards, first downs and passing yards since 2017. 

Before heading the front of the Demon Deacon offense, Tabacca spent two seasons in the same role at Ball State, and before that served as the Co-Offensive Coordinator and Offensive Line coach at Butler for two seasons. His best achievement, in my opinion, was the improvement in the run game at Wake. From 2017-2019, WF rushed for over 2,000 yards each season. For reference, MSU has not eclipsed this number since “The Kenneth Walker year” in 2021. In fact, State was about 800 yards shy of 2,000 in 2025. Re-establishing a ground game is hopefully high on the list of priorities for Coach Tabacca and Coach Sheridan, and the pair are already off to a hot start by nabbing Ben Murawski out of UConn, one of the most highly touted portal O-Linemen during this cycle. 

Speaking of Kenneth Walker, Tabacca’s tenure at Wake did coincide with the Spartan legend, as K9s first two seasons of college football were spent behind a Tabacaa-coached line. In terms of other notable NFL-ers, he has coached plenty of linemen, in Michael Jurgens, Zach Tom, Justin Herron, Phil Haynes, Sean Maginn, Jake Benzinger, and Nate Gilliam. 

Now, to Coach Fitzgerald: “Excited to have Coach Tabacca on our staff! He consistently gets the most out of his players, helping them succeed at both the college level and in the NFL!” 

Let’s hope Coach Tabacca can be a catalyst for completely revamped O-Line play in 2026. 

Defense 

Defensive Coordinator (Retaining) Joe Rossi

• Age: 46
• Years at MSU: 2

As the disappointment that was the 2025 Michigan State Football season rolled on, one coach stood out above all others on the Spartan sideline. Joe Rossi, who for the first time came down from the coaches booth to the sideline at home against Michigan, spent the last five games of the ‘25 season coaching like a man who did not want to lose his job. He was fiery and passionate, providing much-needed positive energy to an oftentimes melancholy and downtrodden MSU squad. Lo and behold, it worked. Rossi has retained his job as Defensive Coordinator, a fate that was no doubt bolstered by the team’s (relatively) improved production on defense in State’s last five games. 

The Pittsburgh native spent the first five years of his career at Division III Thiel College, before coaching Special Teams, Defensive Line, and eventually earning the Defensive Coordinator job at Maine. His next stop would be Rutgers, from 2014-15, before a long stint with the Minnesota Golden Gophers where Rossi would work his way up from Quality Control Assistant to Defensive Coordinator. Jonathan Smith hired Rossi away from the Twin Cities, and his MSU career thus far has been less than illustrious. 

Early on in his tenure, Rossi’s philosophy was clear. He would run a 4-2-5 scheme, yet often times drop out into only a 3-man rush, relying on his interior defensive line to create pressure. This was largely unsuccessful, and led to the largest criticism of Rossi during his time at MSU- the inability to create QB pressures and sacks. However, the transfer portal departures of D-Linemen like Simeon Barrow and Derrick Harmon left State with much less talent and pass-rushing skill in their defensive front. Additionally, despite solid linebacker play from guys like Jordan Turner, Jordan Hall, and Wayne Matthews, instability in the MSU secondary proved detrimental to the Spartan pass defense. With several injuries, underclassmen and lower level transfers were thrust into starting roles, and had to defend potent passing attacks from Big Ten opponents without the help of a competent pass rush. 

What is my point in saying all this? Joe Rossi has been put in a very tough situation during his time at Michigan State. Yes, some of the blame falls on scheme, but there have been some serious talent gaps between the arsenal of weapons utilized by MSU’s opponents and the often banged up and thin defense Rossi has at his disposal. 

However, Rossi is not keeping his job by just making the talent excuse. Pat Fitzgerald, who does have familiarity with Joe Rossi from many years together in the Big Ten West, no doubt saw something in the last five games of 2025 from the Spartan DC. Beyond just improved energy, Rossi showed flexibility, the ability to adapt, and adjusted schemes that allowed what was somewhat of a bare cupboard of a State defense to make plays and keep MSU in games. Rossi got creative, brought much more pressure with linebackers, and even drew up safety blitzes. He blended coverages, confused opposing quarterbacks, and saw genuine success for the first time in his Michigan State career. While the last handful of games of the ‘25 season brought a lot of heartbreak and close losses for the Spartans, Rossi’s defense was certainly a bright spot, and the reason that State was in a lot of these games late. 

I believe retaining Joe Rossi was the right move for Coach Fitz. He has proved to be a passionate leader, and will bring back familiarity and stability to a defense that will need it- with loads of transfer portal activity already taking place. With what is hopefully a much improved (and better funded) defense at his disposal, an experienced defensive minded Head Coach, and some help from a former MSU legend coaching the LBs, I think that the future is bright for the 46-year old former DIII athlete. 

Linebackers and Co-Defensive Coordinator: Max Bullough 

• Age: 33
• Previous Job: Linebackers Coach
• Previous School: University of Notre Dame 

Certainly the most popular hire amongst Spartan Nation this off-season, one of the best defensive players in recent MSU Football history will be returning to coach linebackers at his alma mater. Max Bullough, the two-time captain, two-time All-American, and three year NFL veteran is a player who represents the highest heights of the Spartan Football, headlining some of the best defenses in Michigan State history. 

Bullough, from Traverse City, is a third generation MSU grad, and the true definition of a Spartan Dawg. While his list of accolades as a player include All-Big Ten selections, and record breaking seasons, what Max Bullough meant for Michigan State football goes way beyond the statistics. Anyone who remembers the Mark Dantonio-era defenses can probably remember a Bullough leading the way. And Max was the catalyst, the heart and soul of arguably the most dominant one. In 2013, State had the number 2 ranked defense in all the land, that helped them to become Big Ten Champions and winners of the 100th Rose Bowl. If anyone knows what it takes to win in East Lansing, it is Max Bullough. 

Max’s coaching career is nothing to sneeze at either. Following his NFL days with the Houston Texans where he played in 30 games, Bullough became a graduate assistant at the University of Cincinnati in 2019. His next job would take him to Tuscaloosa, where he worked under the former Spartan and coaching icon, Nick Saban, as a GA at Alabama from 2020-2022. In the past three seasons, Bullough has been coaching at another CFB Blue Blood in Notre Dame. It only took one more year as a GA for Max to be promoted to Linebackers Coach for the Irish, and his impact was felt immediately as he mentored Jack Kiser, a standout LB who helped lead ND to a National Championship game at the end of the 2024 season, and was a fourth round NFL draft pick. 

I’m not sure if there has ever been a more perfect fit for a coach at Michigan State than Max Bullough. He will coach a unit that has been the strength of the Spartan defense in the past couple seasons, and will have the opportunity to work with Jordan Hall, a player who, similar to Bullough, has stuck with MSU throughout his college career. 

Head Coach Pat Fitzgerald has called Bullough the embodiment of Spartan toughness. “I coached against him when he led some of the best defenses in school history at Michigan State under Mark Dantonio, and he has continued to showcase his football knowledge by coaching at some of the best programs in the country after his NFL playing career. He will undoubtedly inspire our players to play with maximum effort. I’m excited to start working with Max and we welcome him back to East Lansing.”

Defensive Line: Winston DeLattiboudere III

• Age: 27
• Previous Role: Defensive Line Coach
• Previous Team: Arizona Cardinals (NFL) 

For his Defensive Line coach, Pat Fitzgerald has dipped into the world of professional football with Winston DeLattiboudere (or alternatively: Coach DeBo) of the Arizona Cardinals. Only 27 years old, Coach DeBo is a rising star who once again embodies the themes of familiarity and alignment amongst Coach Fitz’s new staff. DeLattiboudere played under Joe Rossi for four seasons from 2015-19 at Minnesota, and coached under Rossi as well in 2023 and 24. 

After receiving his master’s degree in youth development from Minnesota, DeLattiboudere jumped right into the world of coaching, with a Graduate Assistant job at the university of Oregon, assisting with defensive linemen. DeBo worked with the likes of Kayvon Thibodeaux, now a New York Giant, and two other all-PAC 12 selections in his time in Eugene. A year later, he landed his first full time job as the D-Line Coach for the Akron Zips, before heading back to Minnesota in 2023 as the Gopher’s new Assistant Head Coach, along with Defensive Line Coach, at the young age of 25! 

DeLattiboudere was recognized in 2024 as a member of the American Football Coaches Association’s 35 Under 35 Coaches Leadership Institute- a program aimed at identifying and developing premier, future leaders in the football coaching profession. This helped to springboard Coach DeBo into a job with the Arizona Cardinals of the NFL in 2025, where he just wrapped up a year gaining valuable experience at the highest level, and will now be reuniting with Joe Rossi in East Lansing. 

A talented recruiter and developer of young men, with a tremendous amount of experience for his age, Coach Fitz has once again found an exciting young coach with alignment in scheme, attitude, and approach with Winston DeLattiboudere. 

Cornerbacks: Hank Poteat

• Age: 48
• Previous Role: Cornerbacks Coach
• Previous School: Iowa State University

A former star cornerback at Pitt, third round draft selection, and Super Bowl Champion with the New England Patriots, Hank Poteat has earned the job as the next CBs coach for Michigan State. Poteat has been in the role of coaching corners since 2015, where he got his first full-time job at Kent State in Ohio. After a three year stint at Toledo, Poteat has split the last five years between bigger programs in Wisconsin and Iowa State, and has seen success at every stop. 

The 48-year old coached four All-MAC corners in his time at Kent State and Toledo, and helped Toledo’s pass defense to an impressive ranking of 22nd nationally in passing efficiency defense. It was in Madison, however, where Poteat began to truly make a name for himself. In year one at Wisconsin, both Badger starting CBs, in Faion Hicks and Caesar Dancy-Williams, earned All-Big Ten honors. Both would make it to the NFL as well, as Hicks was selected in the Draft by the Denver Broncos and Dancy-Williams was signed by the Los Angeles Rams. In year one (2021), Poteat’s Badger defense was 4th nationally in passing yards allowed, only giving up an average of 174 yds/game. In 2022, the Wisconsin defense was once again stout against the pass, finishing in the top ten nationally in yards per game and interceptions. 

Hank Poteat’s success in the Big Ten followed him to Ames, IA, where Iowa State would crack the top 10 in defense in several categories in Poteat’s first season. 2024 brought a highly successful 11-3 season with a Pop Tarts Bowl victory for the Cyclones, and even more positive press for Poteat, as ISU earned the nation’s top spot in passing defense. 

In my opinion, this hiring has been the most underrated of Pat Fitzgerald’s to this point. Poteat is one of the most successful CBs coaches in the nation, and will be heading a position group that has been suspect since the No Fly Zone days of the mid 2010s. Coach Fitz’s thoughts: “[Poteat is] A Super Bowl champion who knows what it takes to succeed at the highest level. Excited to have Coach Poteat bring his championship mindset to our defense every day!” 

Safeties (Retaining) James Adams

• Age: 42
• Years at MSU: 1

Often confused with former secondary coach, Blue Adams (who has now departed to join Florida State’s staff), James Adams was a quiet hire made prior to the 2025 season by Joe Rossi. Adams came to MSU by way of Wake Forest, where he coached the Demon Deacons from 2022-24, lining up with new Offensive Line coach Nick Tabacca as well. As was discussed during Tabacca’s portion of this round-up, Wake experienced unprecedented levels of success during that time, and Adams’ unit was no different. Two of his safeties in Malik Mustapha and Sanoussi Kane were NFL Draft choices, and he also mentored Nick Anderson, a former walk on who developed into the ACC’s leading tackler in 2024. 

Prior to assisting with the Demon Deacons, Adams made brief stops in West Lafayette, gaining Big Ten experience at Purdue. He picked up knowledge on the state of Michigan as well, coaching for the Western Michigan Broncos in 2019. Before heading to Kalamazoo, Adams helped start the UNC Charlotte football program, when they moved from FCS to FBS in 2011, and coached there through the 2018 season. Adams has coached defensive backs in some degree at each of these universities. 

The safeties room got a big boost when starter Nikai Martinez announced his return in 2026 despite a ‘25 season riddled with injuries. Aside from Martinez, Adams will also look to be a heavy player in the transfer portal when looking to bolster the back end of the Spartan defense. 

Special Teams

Special Teams Coordinator and Assistant Head Coach: LeVar Woods

• Age: 47
• Previous Role: Special Teams Coordinator
• Previous School: University of Iowa

To wrap things up, I might have saved the best hire for last. Coach Fitzgerald’s choice for Special Teams Coordinator is LeVar Woods of Iowa. Something that has been missing from Michigan State football for several years now (save Ryan Eckley) has been good special teams performance. Something that has been an absolute cornerstone of Iowa’s program for several years has been some of the best special teams play in the nation. Even this past year, it was the special teams play of punt returner Kaden Wetjen for the Hawkeyes that made the difference in a 20-17 win over our Spartans in Iowa City. So, what more can we learn about Coach Woods? 

An Iowa Hawkeye through and through, Woods was a two year starter at outside linebacker under Hayden Fry and Kirk Ferentz. Fittingly, one of his most memorable plays of his career came by way of special teams, blocking a kick and returning it for a touchdown against Northern Illinois, marking Ferentz’s first win as Head Coach. Woods then took his talents to the NFl, where his seven year career included stints with the Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, and Tennessee Titans. It didn’t take long for Woods to come home to Iowa City though, as once his playing days came to an end, the very next year in 2008 he started as an Administrative  Assistant for the Hawkeyes. 

It was 2012 when Woods transitioned into the Outside LBs coach, and special teams assistant. He held that role as special teams assistant until being promoted to ST Coordinator in 2018, and has been in the same position ever since. Michigan State will be the first place Woods will coach outside of his alma mater, and is arguably the biggest coaching staff win of Fitzgerald’s, prying a proven commodity away from his longtime spot at Iowa. 

Woods was the mastermind behind all three units of special teams at Iowa, and helped elevate the Hawkeyes to national recognition. His achievements are numerous, but to name a few: coaching numerous All-Big Ten and All-American specialists, notably Tory Taylor, who became Iowa’s first ever Ray Guy Award winner (nation’s top punter) in 2023. He also developed All-American kicker Keith Duncan, a Lou Groza (top kicker) Award finalist in 2019, and consensus All-American return specialists Cooper DeJean and the aforementioned Kaden Wetjen. Woods was also recognized as the 2023 FootballScoop Special Teams Coordinator of the Year. 

Beyond just ushering what is hopefully an immediate change into the culture and results of special teams at Michigan State, Woods will be taking on a new position at MSU, starting as Associate Head Coach for Pat Fitzgerald. If there is any coaching hire to be optimistic about, it is this one. 

So TOC Nation, which new coach are you most excited about? Most concerned? How would you grade each hiring? Let us know down in the comments below.