Anonymous Big Ten coach reveals NSFW reaction to Michigan State position coaches hires

A new era of Michigan State football is underway, with the school hiring former Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald to take over and try to turn things around. And with Fitzgerald came a strong haul of assistant coaches to do the work as well.

While Michigan State might still have a ton of work to do in order to become a Big Ten contender, opposing teams in the league are already taking notice of the Spartans. Specifically, the coaches that Fitzgerald is bringing with him. One opposing Big Ten coach spoke to Athlon Magazine and gave a blunt take on the assistant Fitzgerald has hired in East Lansing.

“Their entire staff of position coaches made me go, ‘Oh, s—. Interesting,'” the coach told the outlet. “They brought in a lot of good coaches, so I think they’ll be a good team this year.”

The coach did not get specific about which assistants stood out to him. But you don’t have to scroll far down Fitzgerald’s staff list online to realize that the anonymous coach has a point.

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Assistant head coach LeVar Woods was under Kirk Ferentz at Iowa for almost 20 years. Defensive coordinator Joe Rossi was already at Michigan State prior to Fitzgerald, but he kept him on due to his success both with the Spartans and at Minnesota previously. And offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan comes to Michigan State after spending two years at Alabama and Washington prior to that.

It goes deeper than just coordinators, though. A second anonymous Big Ten coach spoke to Athlon as well and specifically mentioned two assistants on the staff who stand out to him.

“I thought picking up (offensive line coach) Nick Tabacca was really smart,” the coach said. “And (safeties coach) James Adams, he is absolutely unbelievable. He’s the best I’ve ever been around in terms of a coach, an evaluator, a recruiter; he makes his guys want to run through a brick (wall) every day. Any staff that he’s on, stock up big time.”

Michigan State looks to turn around quickly

With four straight seasons of five or fewer wins, Michigan State wants to win and wants to win quickly. That’s the job ahead for Fitzgerald. However, it will not be the easiest debut season, as Michigan State’s 2026 schedule includes games against Notre Dame, Michigan and Oregon, to name a few.

The season begins with Toledo in East Lansing on September 4, though. A kickoff time has not been set for that game.