SpartanMag LIVE! Comparing the new Michigan State coaching staff to the former

In the latest edition of SpartanMag LIVE!, SpartanMag publisher Jim Comparoni goes in-depth in answering one key question from the SpartanMag mailbag, regarding Michigan State football. 

Comparoni was asked, by SpartanMag subscriber “Brandon” in Fraser, Mich., via The Underground Bunker message board, to compare the current Michigan State football coaching staff of Jonathan Smith to the previous coaching staff of Mel Tucker. 

Comparoni goes position by position, beginning with offensive line coach Jim Michalczik, in comparison to former offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic. Both coaches are highly-respected within the industry. Although Kapilovic never quite got his offensive line program established as a strength for Michigan State football, he was hired at Alabama during the off-season by new Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer.

Michalczik comes to Michigan State after helping Oregon State’s offensive line become a finalist for the Joe Moore Award in 2021 and 2023. 

“Michalczik is really well-respected in coaching circles, and if you watch his offensive lines the last few years, you can see why,” Comparoni said. “But it’s not going to be an instantaneous level of improvement there.”

In comparison to Kapilovic, Comparoni says: “Both of those guys are heavyweight offensive line coaches reputation-wise within the industry. Michalczik has demonstrated more success in recent years at Oregon State.

“I don’t close the door on Kapilovic becoming a good offensive line coach at Alabama, but I do think Michalczik is a great one coming into Michigan State, but it’s not going to get done overnight.”

As for offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coaching, comparing former offensive coordinator Jay Johnson to new offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren, Comparoni says: 

“I have a lot of respect for Jay Johnson but I don’t think opposing defensive coordinators were lying awake at night, worried about how Michigan State was going to hit them, with Johnson.  

“I think Lindgren is potentially an up-and-coming star as an offensive coach. I will be interested to see how he develops at Michigan State. 

“Younger guy,” Comparoni said of Lindgren. “Impressive when he walks in a room, not full of himself, but he knows what he wants to do and he has great optimism that they can get things established. 

“Lindgren is an intriguing offensive coordinator, the likes of which we have not seen at Michigan State over the years. Mark Dantonio had a lot of success with Don Treadwell and record-setting numbers with Dave Warner. John L. Smith had Dave Baldwin, who did a few things real well. Morris Watts was offensive coordinator for a long time at Michigan State, under George Perles, Nick Saban, Bobby Williams. He was part of a number of coaching staffs that were fired: Perles, Williams, Gerry DiNardo at LSU, and while at Kansas, Miami of Ohio. 

“Lindgren is a different breath of fresh air compared to a lot of those guys, so I’m intrigued to watch him. Nothing against Jay Johnson but I think Lindgren is a really intriguing upgrade as an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. 

“In recent years, Jay Johnson was overseeing the quarterbacks and Mel Tucker was hands-off with the quarterbacks, other than trying to motivate them and of course having a say in who was the starter. But Jonathan Smith, a former quarterback, that’s his area of expertise, and at practice I see Jonathan Smith in the middle of the field with Lindgren and the quarterbacks.”

Comparoni dives into the other position groups and compares the current assistant coach in those areas to their predecessor.