Michigan State is set to bring a different look to its sideline this fall, and it starts with where the coordinators will be during games.
Offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan and defensive coordinator Joe Rossi are both planning to coach from the field, not from the press box. That choice gives them a chance to stay directly engaged with players in the middle of the action, even if it means giving up the cleaner all-22 view that comes with working from above.
Sheridan explained the tradeoff on Tuesday: "There's benefits to both being up and being down," Sheridan said Tuesday. "I think the benefit to being on the field is you can look the players in the eye and talk to them.
I think that's important. You can see the body language of not just your team, the opponent, the rhythm, the flow of the game a little bit better.
It's a little louder on the sideline, you know, as opposed to in the box. So there's pros and cons."
It marks a notable change from last season, when Rossi and former offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren both started out calling games from above. Lindgren stayed there all year, while Rossi eventually moved down to the field beginning with the Michigan game. That switch gave the Spartans a jolt of energy on the sideline and lined up with a stronger stretch from the defense.
The move also fits the kind of sideline environment Michigan State appears to be building under Jonathan Smith and Pat Fitzgerald. Players who have been around during both eras have talked about the energy around the facility and practice field, and the program has long gravitated toward coaches with fire and presence, the kind associated with Tom Izzo and Mark Dantonio.
Smith’s quiet, low-emotion game-day style hasn’t exactly clicked with the fanbase, especially when results have gone sideways. By the end of the 2025 season, it was notable that Rossi was often shown on TV as much as, or more than, Smith.
There’s also a practical reason this setup makes sense now. The NCAA removed a rule in June 2024 that limited the number of coaches a team could have, and MSU currently lists 31 coaches online. With that many hands available, the Spartans can afford to keep a few assistants upstairs while Sheridan and Rossi handle the direct communication from the field.
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