Former Spartan Making Impact For Potential National Champion

Former Michigan State Spartan standout linebacker Max Bullough has transitioned from his playing days to now coaching one of the top teams in all of college football. He is on the brink of a national championship in his first full coaching season.

Nov 2, 2013; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans linebacker Max Bullough (40) looks at his bench during the third quarter against the Michigan Wolverines at Spartan Stadium. The Spartans beat the Wolverines 29-6. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-Imagn Images | Raj Mehta-Imagn Images

Former Michigan State Spartans and NFL linebacker Max Bullough was one of the top tacklers and achievers in recent Spartan history and is now on the verge of winning a national championship in his first official season as an assistant coach.

Bullough is the linebackers coach at the University of Notre Dame, one of the two teams competing in the 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship. It marks the former Spartan's first season at the position after joining the staff as a graduate assistant one year ago.

Bullough spent a four-year career (2010 to 2013) with Michigan State, where he was a two-time first-team All-Big Ten selection with a 3-1 record in bowl games, including a Rose Bowl win in his senior year. He also took home the Biggie Munn Award, given to the most motivational player in the nation.

The Muskegon, Michigan native would go undrafted but was signed by the Houston Texans in 2014, where he played all three years of his NFL career. Bullough totaled 56 total tackles in 30 career games at the highest level. He then went into coaching which had led him to the staff of the Fighting Irish.

Bullough has helped lead the linebacker room of the Irish and has been a factor in them being the No. 2 defense in the nation, allowing just 14.3 points per game with the ninth-lowest total yards allowed (298.3) in the country. He is one win away from the national championship he once wanted as a player.

The College Football Playoff bracket was implemented in 2014, the year after Bullough graduated. Even though the Spartans were the No. 4 ranked team in 2013 and played in the Rose Bowl, this is Bullough's chance to seek redemption and hoist that monumental trophy for the very first time.

The former Spartan standout is very early in his coaching career but has quickly climbed the ranks and surrounded himself with winning football. It would not be an outlandish thought to imagine Bullough commanding a defense in a few short years and finding the success he did as a player.

The Fighting Irish will be meeting the Ohio State Buckeyes, a team that Bullough was 3-1 against in his playing career. There will definitely be an added motivation for him to take down one of his former hated rivals and continue the success he has had over the Buckeyes.

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