Michigan State OL Coach Jim Michalczik is Changing the OL's Identity

There will be many new aspects to Michigan State football this season.

Michigan State offensive line coach Jim Michalczik works with players during the Spring Showcase on Saturday, April 20, 2024, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA

Michigan State’s football team will look much different in Coach Jonathan Smith’s first season as head coach. After six seasons at his alma mater, Oregon State, Coach Smith has again taken on a head coaching position at a football program looking for a turnaround. 

After helping Oregon State’s football program improve in just a couple of years, Smith and his coaching staff are looking to do the same at Michigan State. Spartans offensive line coach and run game coordinator Jim Michalczik followed Smith from Oregon State to Michigan State and is already making his presence felt.

Returning offensive lineman Geno VanDeMark said back during spring practices that while there are a few similarities to their old offense, the Spartans are installing an entirely new offense. 

“It's just a whole different offense, a whole different scheme, and different way to do pretty much the majority of our blocks,” VanDeMark said. “And, of course, it's football, there's going to be some overlap with certain concepts or whatever. But it's pretty much almost completely different.”

VanDeMark said the Spartans’ blocking emphasis is different than it used to be. He noted a difference in the mentality that Coach Michalczik is instilling. 

“I think it's more just based on running, I'll say that. It's more on running through people instead of just maybe traditional blocking as most people would probably think of when they see it,” VanDeMark said.

The offensive lineman said Coach Michalczik has made the offensive line’s mission simple. The long-time offensive line coach has given his players clear orders. 

“Get your eyes where you need to go and move people,” VanDeMark said. “That's just his main thing — we gotta move 'em. That's our job.”

Coach Smith and Coach Michalczik have a long history together. Coach Michalczik coached on Coach Smith’s college football team when he attended Oregon State in the late 1990s. The two again connected when Coach Smith became Oregon State’s head coach many years later.

Coach Smith spoke on Coach Michalczik back during spring practices.

“Jim does a good job of mixing a lot of guys at the O-line in different spots,” Coach Smith said. “So they're learning and growing there. This is a brand-new scheme. We're asking them to do some different things, and they're definitely working at it.”

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