John McNulty is on the move again - and this time, he’s heading to East Lansing.
After a one-year return to Rutgers in 2025, where he served as a senior offensive assistant working with the wide receivers, McNulty is expected to join Pat Fitzgerald’s staff at Michigan State as the Spartans’ quarterbacks coach, per multiple reports.
This marks yet another chapter in a coaching career that’s spanned college football’s top programs and nearly every offensive position group - not to mention a significant run through the NFL ranks. But McNulty’s latest move also signals a fresh opportunity to work with quarterbacks again, this time under a defensive-minded head coach looking to stabilize and elevate a program in transition.
During his most recent stint at Rutgers - his third with the Scarlet Knights - McNulty played a key role in the development of standout receivers KJ Duff and Ian Strong. Both wideouts posted career-best seasons in 2025, helping Rutgers’ passing game find a rhythm it hadn’t seen in years. While his official title was senior offensive assistant, McNulty’s fingerprints were all over the wide receiver room’s breakout campaign.
McNulty had signed a one-year deal worth $250,000 ahead of the 2025 season, returning to a familiar place where he had deep roots. A Pennsylvania native, he left a two-year analyst role at Alabama to reunite with Greg Schiano, a coach he’s worked with multiple times over the past two decades.
For Rutgers fans, McNulty’s name is synonymous with both the program’s offensive highs and its struggles. He first arrived in Piscataway in 2004 as the wide receivers coach before being promoted to offensive coordinator in 2006.
That stretch, under Schiano, produced arguably the most dynamic offenses in school history. With Mike Teel at quarterback, Ray Rice and Brian Leonard in the backfield, and a receiving corps that featured Kenny Britt, Tiquan Underwood, and Tim Brown, McNulty’s 2007 offense made history.
That year, Rutgers became the first and only team in NCAA history to field a 3,000-yard passer (Teel), a 2,000-yard rusher (Rice), and two 1,000-yard receivers (Britt and Underwood) in the same season. The unit racked up 5,841 total yards, 294 first downs, and 426 points - all school records at the time. It was the kind of offensive firepower that put Rutgers on the national map and made McNulty a hot commodity in coaching circles.
But his second stint as offensive coordinator, under Chris Ash in 2018-19, told a very different story. In 2018, Rutgers’ offense sputtered to the bottom of the national rankings, finishing 1-11 with freshman quarterback Artur Sitkowski leading the country in interceptions. The following year, McNulty and Ash were both let go just four games into the season by then-athletic director Pat Hobbs.
Still, McNulty’s coaching journey didn’t slow down. He returned to his alma mater, Penn State, as an offensive assistant, then moved on to become the tight ends coach at Notre Dame. From there, he took over as offensive coordinator at Boston College - where he faced Rutgers in 2022 in a game the Scarlet Knights won - before heading to Alabama as an analyst under Nick Saban and later Kalen DeBoer.
And let’s not forget his NFL résumé. McNulty has coached quarterbacks, wide receivers, and tight ends at the highest level, with stops in Jacksonville, Dallas, Arizona, Tampa Bay, Tennessee, and Los Angeles (Chargers). That kind of experience - layered with both college and pro insight - makes him a valuable addition to any staff.
Now, at Michigan State, McNulty steps into a quarterback room that’s likely in need of stability and development. Pat Fitzgerald, known for his defensive acumen and Big Ten pedigree, is building a new-look staff in East Lansing, and bringing in a veteran offensive mind like McNulty is a clear signal of intent.
For McNulty, it’s another opportunity to shape a program’s offensive identity - and maybe, just maybe, help script another historic season like the one he orchestrated back in 2007.