Tag: michigan state

Unknown date; E. Lansing, MI, USA; FILE PHOTO; Michigan State Spartans running back Sherman Lewis (20)runs against the Michigan Wolverines. Mandatory Credit: Malcolm Emmons-Imagn Images

All-American, Super Bowl-winning coach Sherman Lewis dies

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Sherman Lewis, a former Michigan State star who won four Super Bowls as an NFL assistant coach, died on Friday. He was 83.

Michigan State announced his passing Saturday night. It did not provide a cause of death, however.

An All-American halfback with the Spartans, Lewis finished third in the 1963 Heisman Trophy voting after totaling 880 yards and nine touchdowns from scrimmage.

Lewis played with the Toronto Argonauts (1964) in the CFL and the New York Jets (1966-67) in the AFL before returning to his alma mater as an assistant coach under Duffy Daugherty in 1969. He remained on the Michigan State staff until 1982.

Pro Football Hall of Fame member Bill Walsh hired him to the San Francisco 49ers’ coaching staff in 1983. He won three Super Bowl rings during his nine-year run with the 49ers as running backs coach before picking up another ring during his time as the offensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers (1992-99).

Lewis also was an offensive coordinator with the Minnesota Vikings (2000-01) and Detroit Lions (2003-04) as well as an offensive consultant with the Washington franchise (2009).

The Pro Football Hall of Fame recognized Lewis in the Awards of Excellence Class of 2023 on June 28, 2023. The Award of Excellence program honors significant contributors to the game in five categories, including assistant coaches.

–Field Level Media

Michigan State WR Nick Marsh transferring to Indiana

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Top-ranked Indiana plucked a marquee target out of the transfer portal Sunday, securing a commitment from Michigan State wideout Nick Marsh.

Marsh, who announced the move on Instagram, remains in the Big Ten and brings two seasons of eligibility to the conference champions. The 6-foot-3 Detroit native, regarded as a four-star recruit coming out of high school, led the Spartans in receiving in each of his two years. He leaves East Lansing, Mich., with 100 catches for 1,311 yards and nine touchdowns, which includes 662 yards and six scores this season.

He declared his intent to transfer on Dec. 1 and officially entered the portal Friday, becoming one of the most sought-after players. In 2024, Marsh set Michigan State records for true freshmen with 41 receptions and 649 yards. He proved a headache for Indiana as well, posting 12 catches for 142 yards and two scores across two career meetings.

Marsh’s arrival gives head coach Curt Cignetti a proven playmaker on the perimeter as the Hoosiers reload for 2026 while also preparing for their College Football Playoff semifinal against Oregon on Jan. 9 in the Peach Bowl. He should factor immediately into a room that must replace senior Elijah Sarratt, who leads the Hoosiers with 13 touchdown receptions and ranks second with 55 catches and 727 receiving yards.

–Field Level Media

Reports: Alabama co-OC Nick Sheridan leaving for Michigan State

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Nick Sheridan will depart Alabama following the College Football Playoff to become Michigan State’s offensive coordinator, multiple media outlets reported.

Sheridan, 37, is wrapping up his second season with the Crimson Tide. He is the quarterbacks coach and shares offensive coordinator duties with primary play-caller Ryan Grubb.

The CFP’s ninth seed, Alabama booked a quarterfinal date with No. 1 Indiana in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1 by rallying to knock off No. 8 Oklahoma 34-24 in last Friday’s first-round matchup.

Michigan State (4-8, 1-8 Big Ten) endured an eight-game losing streak this season, fired head coach Jonathan Smith on Nov. 30 and replaced him with Pat Fitzgerald, the longtime boss at Northwestern.

Sheridan is intimately familiar with the Big Ten. He is a former Michigan quarterback, and his five-year stint on the staff at Indiana (2017-21) included a pair of seasons as offensive coordinator.

Sheridan was Washington’s tight ends coach in 2022-23 and proceeded to follow head coach Kalen DeBoer to Tuscaloosa.

He is the son of Bill Sheridan, a veteran NFL and college defensive assistant who joined the Jacksonville Jaguars’ staff in 2025.

–Field Level Media

Michigan State QB Aidan Chiles entering transfer portal

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Michigan State quarterback Aidan Chiles will enter the transfer portal next month after two seasons with the Spartans, he confirmed Monday to ESPN.

A junior with one year of eligibility remaining, Chiles began his career at Oregon State and has played in 30 games with the Spartans (2024-25) and Beavers (2023).

Chiles has completed 61.3% of his passes for 4,116 yards with 27 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He has rushed for 531 yards and 12 scores.

Chiles enjoyed one of his best games in 2025 against current No. 1 Indiana, completing 27 of 33 passes for 243 yards and one TD in Michigan State’s 38-13 loss on Oct. 18 in Bloomington, Ind.

–Field Level Media

Reports: Michigan State brings Pat Fitzgerald back to Big Ten

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Pat Fitzgerald is back in the Big Ten as head coach of the Michigan State Spartans after signing a five-year contract on Monday, according to multiple reports.

Fitzgerald, 50, will be formally introduced at a Tuesday press conference in East Lansing and is the third coach of the Spartans in just over two years’ time.

The Jonathan Smith era ended when he was fired Sunday after eight losses in the final nine games of the season, capping a two-year stint with the program at 4-15 because of the NCAA vacating five wins from 2024. He has more than $30 million remaining on his contract.

Fitzgerald last coached in 2022 for Northwestern. The Wildcats went 110-101 across his 17 seasons while recording a few double-digit-win campaigns and claiming a handful of bowl victories.

Fitzgerald finished his last two seasons with the program a combined 4-20 and was fired in July 2023 due to a hazing scandal that the school said included “forced participation, nudity and sexualized acts of a degrading nature.”

But the two sides reached a financial settlement in August that Fitzgerald said cleared his name. Terms were not disclosed but Fitzgerald’s attorneys called it a “satisfactory settlement.”

Fitzgerald sued Northwestern for $130 million in October 2023 claiming his employment was “unlawfully terminated” and that Northwestern damaged his reputation.

“For the past two years, I have engaged in a process of extensive fact and expert discovery, which showed what I have known and said all along — that I had no knowledge of hazing ever occurring in the Northwestern football program and that I never directed or encouraged hazing in any way,” Fitzgerald said in a statement in August.

Fitzgerald’s son, Ryan, is a walk-on quarterback at Iowa.

Smith took over the program in November 2023 after Mel Tucker’s firing two months prior amid sexual harassment allegations following several NCAA violations.

Michigan State began the 2025 season 3-0 but lost to then-1-4 UCLA, then-3-6 Penn State and rival Michigan in the midst of eight consecutive defeats.

The NCAA vacated all five of Michigan State’s wins from his debut 2024 season, as well as nine more wins from the 2022 and 2023 campaigns, due to recruiting violations during the Tucker era.

When Smith was named Michigan State coach in 2023, he was coming off a 25-13 run over three seasons with Oregon State, where he went 34-35 overall.

–Field Level Media

Reports: Michigan State fires Jonathan Smith, intends to hire Pat Fitzgerald

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The Jonathan Smith era at Michigan State has ended; the Pat Fitzgerald era is about to begin.

The Spartans fired Smith on Sunday, according to ESPN. Not long after that news could be viewed across people’s screens, Yahoo Sports reported that Michigan State intends to hire Fitzgerald as his successor.

Fitzgerald last coached in 2022 for Northwestern. The Wildcats went 110-101 across his 17 seasons while recording a few double-digit-win campaigns and claiming a handful of bowl victories.

However, Fitzgerald finished his last two seasons with the program a combined 4-20. Worse, Northwestern fired the program’s longtime coach in July 2023 due to a hazing scandal that the school said included “forced participation, nudity and sexualized acts of a degrading nature.”

That kind of off-field scandal will be very familiar to both Michigan State and Smith, who took over for the program in November 2023 after Mel Tucker’s firing two months prior amid sexual harassment allegations following several NCAA violations.

Smith lost his job after a 4-8 campaign that saw the Spartans follow up a 3-0 start with an eight-game losing streak. Michigan State lost to then-1-4 UCLA, then-3-6 Penn State and rival Michigan during that stretch.

Smith finishes his Spartans tenure 4-15 after the NCAA vacated all five of Michigan State’s wins from his debut 2024 season, as well as nine more wins from the 2022 and 2023 campaigns, due to recruiting violations during the Tucker era.

Smith entered Michigan State coming off a 25-13 run during his last three seasons with Oregon State, where he went 34-35 overall.

–Field Level Media

Alessio Milivojevic helps Michigan State avoid history it didn’t want

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Freshman Alessio Milivojevic threw a career-high four touchdown passes and Michigan State snapped its eight-game losing streak with a 38-28 victory over Maryland on Saturday at Ford Field in Detroit.

Alante Brown added a 92-yard kickoff return touchdown as the Spartans (4-8, 1-8 Big Ten) avoided becoming the first Michigan State team to lose all of its league games since joining the Big Ten in 1953.

Milivojevic did most of his damage in the first half and finished the game 27 of 39 for 292 yards and one interception.

Maryland (4-8, 1-8) rallied in the second half but suffered its eighth straight loss, matching the longest losing streak of coach Mike Locksley’s seven-year tenure and the second longest skid in program history.

Freshman Malik Washington completed 38 of 61 passes for 459 yards with three touchdowns and one interception for the Terrapins. His competitions, attempts and yardage were all career highs.

Michigan rolled up 453 yards while Maryland finished with 534 yards, its most in a game since last season’s opener.

Milivojevic repeatedly attacked the middle of the Maryland defense, finding receivers open between the hash marks.

Nick Marsh had seven receptions for 85 yards and a touchdown while Jack Velling made five catches for 68 yards and another score.

Milivojevic’s biggest completion came when the Spartans, holding a 31-28 lead, made a bold call, going for it on fourth-and-7 from the Terrapins’ 10 with two minutes left in the game.

Milivojevic found Omari Kelly open in the back of the end zone for the clinching touchdown.

Michigan State scored on the game’s opening possession as Milivojevic capped a 70-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown pass to Kai Rios.

After Martin Covington increased the Spartans’ lead to 10-0 with a 25-yard field goal, Milivojevic fired a 15-yard touchdown pass to Marsh less than four minutes into the second quarter.

Washington countered with his first touchdown pass of the game, a 7-yard toss to the back of the end zone to Jalil Farooq to cut the deficit to 17-7 two-and-a-half minutes after the Marsh score.

Milivojevic was clutch again as he threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Velling with just four seconds left in the half, making it 24-7.

In the third quarter, Maryland scored touchdowns on its first three possessions. Washington fired two touchdown passes in the period, but in between came Brown’s kickoff return score, keeping the Spartans in front 31-28.

Elijah Tau-Tolliver carried 13 times for 95 yards for Michigan State.

Farooq had 10 receptions for 110 yards and two touchdowns while Shaleak Knotts caught eight passes for 139 yards and a touchdown for Maryland.

–Field Level Media

Drew Stevens’ 44-yard FG caps Iowa rally over Michigan State

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Drew Stevens kicked a 44-yard field goal as time expired to give Iowa a 20-17 Big Ten win over Michigan State on Saturday in Iowa City.

After taking over on its own 21-yard line with 41 seconds remaining, the Hawkeyes advanced the ball to Michigan State’s 25 on a 29-yard pass from Mark Gronowski to Reece Vander Zee to help set up Stevens’ game-winner.

Gronowski finished 12-of-22 passing for 147 yards, one touchdown and one interception for Iowa (7-4, 5-3), which trailing 17-7 entering the fourth quarter.

Alessio Milivojevic completed 25 of 42 for 255 yards, two touchdowns and one interception for Michigan State (3-8, 0-8), which has lost eight straight.

Michigan State held a 17-10 lead until Iowa tied the game at 17-17 with 1:29 left on a 13-yard touchdown pass from Gronowski to Jacob Gill, who outjumped a defender in the corner of the end zone.

The score was set up by a 40-yard punt return to the Michigan State 43 by Kaden Wetjen.

Trailing 7-3 at halftime, Michigan State scored two touchdowns in the third quarter to take a 17-7 lead.

Milivojevic hit Chrishon McCray for a 45-yard touchdown pass with 8:58 left in the third to give the Spartans a 10-7 lead. Michigan State went up 10 points on Milivojevic’s 5-yard pass to McCray that capped an 11-play, 80-yard drive.

Iowa finally mounted a drive early in the fourth, going 67 yards in nine plays and cutting Michigan State’s lead to 17-10 with 11:27 remaining on a 26-yard field goal by Stevens.

Iowa took a 7-0 lead with 3:38 remaining in the first when Wetjen returned a punt 62 yards for a touchdown.

Michigan State made it a 7-3 game with 2:54 left in the first half on a 27-yard field goal by Martin Connington.

–Field Level Media

Skidding Michigan State hits Iowa with Hawkeyes hungry for win

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Any hopes Iowa had of qualifying for the Big Ten Championship game and earning a berth in the College Football Playoff have evaporated in the last two weeks with losses to Oregon and Southern California.

Iowa feels there is plenty to play for in the last two games of the regular season, starting with its home finale on Saturday against reeling Michigan State.

First, Iowa (6-4, 4-3 Big Ten) has plenty of incentive to win its last home game and send its seniors out on a good note. The Hawkeyes also want to position themselves for the best bowl game possible when the regular season ends.

Iowa also wants to get the taste of tough, close losses to Oregon (18-16) and USC (26-21) over the last two weeks out of its system.

“I think the team has the right mindset,” Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said. “We’d had great leadership. I’ve talked about that for quite a while and it’s been really consistent. That’s critically important, certainly. And again, it’s all about moving on afterwards.”

Michigan State (3-7, 0-7) comes in on a free fall, having lost seven straight games following a 3-0 start and now knowing it won’t go to a bowl game for a fourth straight season.

There is a lot of uncertainty going forward about the status of second-year head coach Jonathan Smith, but all he is focusing on is having a strong finish to the season, starting with Iowa.

“This team is similar to what they’re known for,” Smith said of Iowa, a team Michigan State beat last year in East Lansing, 32-20. “They play really good defense and make it hard in a lot of ways, whether you try to run it or throw it. The quarterback makes a difference. His experience, you can see it on tape and the good decisions he makes with it, it complements a good run game.”

That quarterback, Mark Gronowski, has passed for 1,216 yards, six touchdowns and five interceptions. He has added 13 rushing scores for the Hawkeyes.

Spartans linebacker Jordan Hall has stood out and leads the squad with 74 tackles and three forced fumbles. He also has two sacks and one interception.

The last time Michigan State won in Iowa City was a 26-14 decision in 2013.

–Field Level Media

Penn State snaps six-game skid, rolls past Michigan State

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Ethan Grunkemeyer and Devonte Ross connected for two touchdown passes, Kaytron Allen ran for two scores, and visiting Penn State posted a much-needed 28-10 victory over Michigan State on Saturday in East Lansing, Mich.

In a matchup of teams that entered on six-game losing streaks, Penn State (4-6, 1-6) emerged to notch its first Big Ten win of the season. The Nittany Lions suffered an agonizing, last-second loss to No. 2 Indiana last weekend but were able to bounce back in this one.

Grunkemeyer (8-of-13 for 127 yards) wasn’t asked to do much, as the Nittany Lions ran the ball 50 times and relied on their defense. Allen had 25 rushes for 181 yards, while Nicholas Singleton chipped in 56 yards on 15 carries.

Alessio Milivojevic went 17-of-27 for 128 yards for Michigan State (3-7, 0-7). Elijah Tau-Tolliver was the leading rusher and receiver for the Spartans with six carries for 79 yards and eight catches for 73 yards.

Michigan State threw the first punch, as Tau-Tolliver rushed through the right side of the defense for a 57-yard touchdown on the Spartans’ first play from scrimmage.

Penn State bounced right back, as Grunkemeyer’s 25-yard pass to Trebor Pena set up Allen’s 8-yard rushing touchdown two plays later.

Late in the first quarter, the Nittany Lions stopped the Spartans on fourth down. However, Michigan State returned the favor on the ensuing Penn State possession.

Midway through the second quarter, Martin Connington’s 24-yard field goal gave the hosts a 10-7 lead. But on the next play from scrimmage, Grunkemeyer launched a bomb to a wide-open Ross for a 75-yard score.

Neither team dented the scoreboard during a third quarter in which the longest play for either team was 14 yards.

Penn State also didn’t have any big plays during its first of two touchdown drives in the fourth quarter. The Nittany Lions only reached third down once on the 13-play march — and that was on the final play, a 4-yard TD pass from Grunkemeyer to Ross with 4:32 left.

On the ensuing possession, Zion Tracy sacked Milivojevic and Daryus Dixson recovered a fumble on the play. Shortly thereafter, Allen unleashed runs of 42 and 26 yards to get Penn State back into the end zone with 2:07 remaining.

–Field Level Media