2026 Football Preview Series: Coaches

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Today we’ll move on from our position group previews and look at MSU’s coaches for the 2026 season which, due to the transition from Jonathan Smith to Pat Fitzgerald, includes several new faces.  In addition to just that, thereA LOT more coaches now. The NCAA used to limit teams to 11 “countable” on-field coaches but that rule was dropped. Teams can now have as many coaches as they want providing on-field instruction. Some restrictions that are still in place include:

• Teams are limited to four graduate assistant (GA) and five strength & conditioning (S&C) coaches
• Teams are allowed to use 20 headset communication devices during a game, but only 15 may be used by coaches.

This year, the Spartans have 31(!) coaches listed on the football website, including assistant coaches, assistant to assistant coaches, volunteer assistants, and five S&C coaches. I’ll do the best I can to provide a background on the staff but will try to focus on Fitzgerald and the three coordinators, including an attempt to look at the schemes and techniques they’ve used in the past. A note on the schemes discussed below – I did the best I could to find information on what these guys are known for but it was hard to come by in some cases. If you are familiar with what we might expect from the new coaches – LeVar Woods and Nick Sheridan in particular – please post your thoughts in the comments.

Unlike Smith’s staff, this is a group with deep Midwestern ties, which Fitzgerald stated was intentional when he spoke at the Big Ten Media days in late July.

Let’s take a look at the Spartans’ coaching staff.  

Head Coach

Pat Fitzgerald: first year at MSU; 28 years in coaching overall – 17 as a head coach; previous stops at Maryland (GA), Colorado (GA), Idaho (LB/S), Northwestern (DB, LB, became head coach in 2006), Loyola Academy – IL (scout team offense volunteer assistant); Alma Mater – Northwestern 1997

Fitzgerald’s path to Michigan State is probably pretty familiar to Spartan fans by now. After 17 years at Northwestern, his Alma Mater, Fitzgerald was fired in 2022 in the fallout from a hazing scandal in the Wildcats’ program. An independent investigation found that Fitzgerald did not have knowledge of the hazing and he later settled a wrongful termination suit against the university.

Since his departure from Northwestern, Fitzgerald has stayed involved in the game by serving as a volunteer coach on the Loyola Academy (IL) staff, become close with the Iowa program, where his son is a backup quarterback, and earned “a PhD in football” by studying modern roster building techniques brought on by NIL and the transfer portal.

Fitzgerald played at Northwestern from 1993-1996 and is one of the better linebackers in Big Ten history. The Wildcats went 10-1 in 1995, won the Big Ten championship, and played in the 1996 Rose Bowl. Unfortunately, Fitzgerald couldn’t take the field in Pasadena due to a broken leg suffered in game 10 that season against Iowa. He returned the next season, however, where Northwestern went 9-3 and played in the Citrus Bowl.

If interested, the following video highlights a key game from Northwestern’s historic 1995 season. Fitzgerald, number 51, is featured in some of the plays:

Despite his success in college, Fitzgerald was not selected in the 1997 NFL draft. He signed with the Dallas Cowboys as a free agent but was let go after two preseason games.

After the NFL didn’t pan out, Fitzgerald transitioned to coaching. Early stops in his career included Maryland, Colorado, and Idaho before making his way back to Northwestern as a defensive assistant in 2001. After five years on the Wildcats’ staff, Fitzgerald – at age 31 – was promoted to head coach when Randy Walker suddenly passed from a heart attack in the summer of 2006.

In 17 seasons leading Northwestern, Fitzgerald went 110-101 overall and 65-76 in the Big Ten. The Wildcats won two Big Ten West Division championships – in 2018 and 2020 – but fell in the conference championship game both times (but so did every other West Division team, when the Big Ten had East/West divisions). In addition to the two West Division crowns, Fitzgerald produced 10-win seasons in 2012, 2015, and 2017.

The 2020 season, unfortunately, proved to be the exception in the latter part of Fitzgerald’s career in Evanston. The Wildcats went 3-9 in 2019, changed offensive coordinators and rebounded to 7-2 and won the West title in the 2020 Covid season, but then went a combined 4-20 overall and 2-16 in the Big Ten in 2021 and 2022. Fitzgerald finished his career at Northwestern on an 11-game losing streak.

Despite how things ended in Evanston, Fitzgerald probably appealed to MSU because the identity he built at Northwestern should resonate in East Lansing – if Fitzgerald can duplicate it here. He should have more resources to work with than he did at his Alma Mater but that alone probably doesn’t guarantee success.

Under Fitzgerald, Northwestern often produced a fundamentally sound defense focused on preventing big plays and a physical offense focused on ball control.

On defense, Northwestern primarily ran a 4-3 base and transitioned to a 4-2-5 against spread offenses. The main coverage scheme appears to have been a two-deep safety look, with the defensive backs reading plays and transitioning from zone to man coverage depending on the pass routes. This was supposed to act as an umbrella, keeping plays in front of the defense and preventing receivers from getting behind the shell created by the DBs.

Defensive ends and cornerbacks worked to contain the outside edges to force screen passes and outside runs back towards the middle of the field. The system required instinctive linebackers to react laterally and also close gaps for interior run plays.

For most of Fitzgerald’s time at Northwestern, the offense utilized shotgun and spread formations with dual-threat quarterbacks like Kain Colter and Dan Persa. Short passes were often a focus, both for ball control and to get the ball out quick since the Wildcats probably didn’t have the biggest personnel on the offensive line.

Towards the end of Fitzgerald’s tenure, however, Northwestern seemed to feature more pro-style sets or heavier sets with two tight ends. It’s perhaps interesting that this seems to have coincided with the poor overall record in Fitzgerald’s later seasons with the Wildcats.

There’s no question that Fitzgerald is thankful to be back in the game, and to MSU for giving him this opportunity. He’s stated that there won’t be a more motivated coach this year. I think Fitzgerald has said all the right things since he’s been at MSU, including at Big Ten Media Days, where Jordan Hall, Nikai Martinez, and Alessio Milivojevic pointed to a change in energy in the program and a greater sense of brotherhood. Noted Sports Illustrated writer Pat Forde stated that Fitzgerald feels like the perfect fit for MSU.

I don’t think it’s getting a lot of attention because, let’s face it, MSU has been bad for four years now, but this should be one of the more compelling stories to watch in college football this year. After a very rough ending on and off the field at Northwestern and time away from coaching (Loyola Academy notwithstanding), can Fitzgerald get it going again at Michigan State? And, if so, how long will it take?

Assistant Head Coach / Special Teams Coordinator

LeVar Woods: first year at MSU; 18 years coaching, all at Iowa (LB, TE, Special Teams); Alma Mater: Iowa – 2000

Of all the coaches Fitzgerald brought to East Lansing, Woods may be the biggest coup. It’s a close call between Woods and linebackers coach/co-defensive coordinator Max Bullough, who we’ll get to in a bit. Woods spent the last 18 seasons on Kirk Ferentz’s staff at Iowa and almost all of that time involved coaching special teams. After working with the Iowa linebackers and tight ends while also serving as a special teams assistant, Woods was promoted to special teams coordinator in 2018. Since then, the Hawkeyes have consistently ranked among the nation’s best in punt and kick returns and return defensive. Woods has also coached multiple All Big Ten and All-American kickers and returners.

Woods’ Iowa roots are deep. He went to high school in Larchwood, IA and then played linebacker for the Hawkeyes from 1998-2000. Despite this, Fitzgerald was able to pry Woods away from Iowa City perhaps in part by giving him an assistant head coach title and promising to help him further develop to eventually lead his own team.

After college, like Fitzgerald, Woods didn’t hear his name called in the NFL draft. Despite this, he was able to carve out an NFL career from 2001-2007 with the Arizona Cardinals, Detroit Lions, and Tennessee Titans. Woods was mostly a reserve linebacker in the League but also became a key special teams player, paving the way for his coaching career.

Perhaps the one thing that made Woods so successful at Iowa started with the overall philosophy. Special teams is considered an actual weapon in Iowa City, not a play-it-safe, risk-averse afterthought. This, combined with strict, well-taught attention to detail made the Hawkeye special teams a true complement to the offense and defense.

Among some of the techniques that seem to have been emphasized at Iowa include:

• Strict lane discipline
• Teaching kick coverage units to transition from long to short strides and remaining square when getting closer to the ball carrier
• Coaching blockers on return units to ride defenders by paying attention to their backside hips or, said another way, emphasizing body positioning over brute force to avoid getting called for blocking penalties
• Situational practicing, like directional punting and coverage, more often than other teams

Defensive Coordinator

Joe Rossi: third year at MSU; 25 years coaching overall; previous stops at Minnesota, Rutgers, Maine, and Thiel College; Alma Mater – Allegheny College 2001

Smith hired Rossi away from Minnesota after the 2023 season after he spent six seasons with the Gophers, where he produced some impressive results.  In his time at Minnesota, Rossi’s units often ranked in the top 10 in the FBS in total defense (3 times) and scoring defense (twice).    

As we noted in last year’s preview, Rossi values stopping the run, eliminating explosive plays, and creating turnovers.  He wants to make the offense drive the length of the field and earn every yard – similar to Fitzgerald’s defensive philosophy when he was at Northwestern.  Rossi has used different schemes over the years and tries to play to the strengths of his players rather than being married to a specific scheme.  

As last season progressed, Rossi came out of the booth and coached from the field – a move that seemed to ignite the defense to some extent. However, the Spartan D has also struggled to generate a consistent pass rush and get off the field on third down during Rossi’s tenure and one would have to think these are key areas the staff is trying to address going into the 2026 season.

Any improvement the Spartans see on defense will likely begin with how much pressure they can generate from the defensive line.

Offensive Coordinator

Nick Sheridan: first year at MSU; 15 years coaching overall; previous stops at Saline HS, Western Kentucky (GA), USF (QB), Tennessee (GA), Indiana (QB & OC), Washington (TE), Alabama (OC, Co-OC); Alma Mater – Michigan 2010

Sheridan is a UM grad. He played quarterback at Michigan from 2006-2009, earning letters in 2008 and 2009. OK, we have that out of the way.

After his playing days, Sheridan started working his way up the coaching ranks with stops at Saline High School, Western Kentucky, South Florida, and Tennessee. He landed at Indiana in 2017 and started a history with current Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer in 2019, when DeBoer was the Hoosiers’ OC and quarterbacks coach and Sheridan coached tight ends.

Sheridan assumed Indiana’s OC and QB coach duties in 2020 when DeBoer departed to become the head coach at Fresno State but the pair would reunite in Seattle in 2022. After two years in Fresno, DeBoer was named head coach at Washington. Sheridan joined him there as the tight ends coach for the 2022 and 2023, coaching in the 2023 national championship game.

When DeBoer left Washington for Alabama in 2024, Sheridan went with him to become the Tide’s OC. The 2024 Alabama offense averaged 33.8 p0ints per game but the Tide went 9-4 and settled for an appearance in the ReliaQuest Bowl. Sheridan stayed in Tuscaloosa in 2025 but served as Co-OC and didn’t call plays.

After primarily following DeBoer around for short stints since 2019, Sheridan now finds himself in East Lansing with Fitzgerald. So, what can we expect from Sheridan’s offense? Here are some things that Sheridan’s offenses at Indiana and Alabama seemed to feature:

• Receivers in stack formations to try to disguise routes
• A lot of pre-snap motion to try to get the defense to reveal its coverage
• Use of multi-tight end sets, featuring this position group as pass catchers, not just blockers
• Alabama’s 2024 offense led the SEC with 41 rushing touchdowns and Sheridan attempts to adapt the running game to the strengths of his personnel
• Sheridan appears to avoid being a finesse-only spread coordinator by using zone runs of the the shotgun formation to establish physicality and ball control
• At Indiana, Sheridan took advantage of tall, physical receiver Ty Fryfoggle, who could win his one-on-one matchup, in addition to a lot of play action calls
• Run-pass option plays on first and second downs

Finally, Sheridan emphasizes explosive play margin, turnover margin, and red zone touchdown percentage as key metrics. He stresses avoidance of “bad football” including giving up sacks, tackles for loss, dropped passes, and penalties that put offenses in third and long situations. Sheridan doesn’t like settling for field goals in the red zone and likes to utilize power run plays to finish drives in the end zone.

For all this to work, however, Sheridan is going to need an offensive line to execute it. Many of the Spartans’ struggles on offense over the last several years come back to this position group, and the ability to keep guys healthy and on the field. Fitzgerald and Co. addressed this via the portal and hopefully we can see improvement here so Sheridan’s concepts can play out.

Next, let’s take a brief look at the position coaches.

Defensive Position Coaches (year at MSU / years coaching / previous stops / Alma Mater)

• CO-DC / LINEBACKERS – Max Bullough: 1 / 7 / Cincinnati, Alabama, Notre Dame / Michigan State 2014
• SAFETIES – James Adams: 2 / 17 / Wake Forest, Purdue, Navy, Western Michigan, Charlotte, Wofford / Wake Forest 2006
• RUSH ENDS – Andrew Bindleglass: 3 / 9 / Minnesota, Bryant, Holy Cross, Tufts / Tufts 2017
• DEFENSIVE LINE – Winston DeLattiboudere: 1 / 6 / Arizona Cardinals, Minnesota, Akron, Oregon, Charlotte / Minnesota 2018 Bachelors & 2019 Masters
• CORNERBAKCS – Hank Poteat: 1 / 15 / Kentucky Christian, Pitt, Kent State, Toledo, Wisconsin, Iowa State / Pittsburgh 2011

In addition to getting Woods to move to East Lansing from Iowa, Fitzgerald was able to bring Max Bullough back to MSU. Bullough played at MSU from 2010-2013, winning the Big Ten championship in 2013. After MSU, Bullough went undrafted but still played for the Houston Texans from 2014-2016. After his playing career, Bullough started moving up the coaching ranks, beginning with GA stints at Cincinnati, Alabama, and Notre Dame. The GA position with the Irish led to Bullough being named Notre Dame’s linebackers coach for the 2024 season and, in 2025, with Bullough still coaching the linebackers, Notre Dame played in the national championship game.

James Adams was retained from Smith’s staff and will remain in his position as safeties coach. Andrew Bindleglass was also retained while getting a promotion from a defensive assistant position last year to being in charge of the rush ends this year.

Fitzgerald got Winston DeLattiboudere III to leave the Arizona Cardinals for MSU to coach the defensive line while Hank Poteat comes over from Iowa State to coach the corners.

DeLattiboudere, Bindleglass, assistant linebackers coach Chris Gordon, and assistant secondary coach Ted Flaherty all have ties to Joe Rossi at Minnesota.

Defensive Assistant Position Coaches

• DEFENSIVE LINE – Jack Chaney: 1 / 1 / Wisconsin
• CORNERBACKS: Elijah Douglas
• SECONDARY: Ted Flaherty: 1 / 6 / WPI, Minnesota, Dayton / Curry College 2024
• LINEBACKERS – Chris Gordon: 4 / Idaho, South Dakota, Illinois Wesleyan, Minnesota / Capital 2019 and Idaho 2022

Gordon is another holdover from Smith’s staff and will begin his fourth season at MSU while Fitzgerald brings in three new assistant defensive position coaches.

Offensive Position Coaches (year at MSU / years coaching / previous stops / Alma Mater)

• OFFENSIVE LINE – Nick Tabacca: 1 / 20 / Ball State, Defiance, Butler, Wake Forest / Ball State
• TIGHT ENDS – Brian Wozniak: 3 / 11 / Oregon State / Wisconsin 2014
• RECEIVERS – Courtney Hawkins: 6 / 21 / Flint Beecher HS / Michigan State
• RUNNING BACKS – Devon Spalding: 1 / 7 / Cincinnati, Youngstown State, Wisconsin / Central Michigan
• QUARTERBACKS – John McNulty: 1 / 34 / Michigan, UConn, Jacksonville Jaguars, Dallas Cowboys, Rutgers, Arizona Cardinals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tennessee Titans, SD/LA Chargers, Penn State, Notre Dame, Alabama / Penn State

Fitzgerald was fortunate to retain Spartan great Courtney Hawkins to continue coaching the wide receivers while also keeping Brian Wozniak in charge of the tight ends. John McNulty brings a lot of NFL and college experience to his QB coach position. Hopefully it leads to continue development from Alessio Milivojevic.

Offensive Assistant Position Coaches

• QUARTERBACKS – Morgan Bequeaith: 3 / 1 / Northern Iowa, Youngstown State / Northern Iowa 2024
• RUNNING BACKS – Grover Bortolotti
• OFFENSIVE LINE – Colin Johnson: 1 / 24 / Indiana, DePauw, Ball State, Butler / Ball State 2003
• TIGHT ENDS – Jacob Lail: 5 / Wayne State / Wisconsin 2018
• WIDE RECEIVERS – Dominic Spalding: 1 / Youngstown State, Northwestern, Notre Dame
• VOLUNTEER ASSISTANT – Matt Allen: 1 / Michigan State 2020

In addition to Bullough, it’s great to see Matt Allen back on the field with the Spartans. Allen played in 44 games on MSU’s offensive line from 2016-2021, which included the 2021 Peach Bowl victory.

Unfortunately, notably missing from MSU football’s website is Lucas Holubar. The former TOC staff writer and master film breaker-downer is now a volunteer grad assistant on Fitzgerald’s staff. Kindly get this omission fixed, MSU.

Special Teams Assistant Coaches

• Zac Garvin: 1 / 7 / Wayne State, Wake Forest, Central Michigan, Community Christian, Bowling Green / Wayne State 2021
• Josh Robinson: 1 / 24 / Sam Houston State, Louisiana-Monroe, Toledo, Oregon, Northern Arizona/ Sam Houston State 2016

Strength & Conditioning Staff

• Joel Welsh – head S&C coach
• Darren Bailey
• Michael DeRoy
• Corbin Ferry
• Matt Flannery

Finally, in addition to the 31 staff members above, MSU lists 26 football support staffers on their website and this doesn’t even include the volunteer GA’s like Lucas. It’s amazing what it takes to run a college football team.

Less than two weeks to kickoff. Go Green.

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