MSU's Bullough Drops Several Memorable Quotes in Podcast Appearance
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One of the big swings Pat Fitzgerald has undoubtedly taken in his early days at Michigan State is going out and bringing back Max Bullough.
Bullough is one of the best linebackers in program history, has "Spartan Pride" tattooed on his biceps, and several other familial connections to MSU. After a successful stint as the linebackers coach at Notre Dame, Fitzgerald was able to get Bullough to return to his alma mater.
On Friday, Bullough appeared on "The Drive with Jack," a podcast hosted by longtime media member Jack Ebling. Bullough shared many different details about his path between the end of his playing days at Michigan State and his return, and also dropped some quotes that could fire plenty of Spartan fans up.
What Bullough Said
NFL Career w/ Texans
Bullough didn't have the longest professional career ever. He appeared in 30 games across three seasons for the Houston Texans, with four of those contests being starts. There was also a stint with the Cleveland Browns, but Bullough never reached the field for them. Despite the NFL career with limited amounts of glory, Bullough said his time at the highest level had a great impact on him.
"That might be the biggest influence on me as a coach," Bullough said of his time in the pros. "When I went to Houston, I was an inside linebacker. We ran a 3-4 defense under Coach [Romeo] Cremmel; he was the defensive coordinator, and Mike Vrabel was the linebackers coach.
"All of us linebackers, inside and outside, met together with [Vrabel], so for three and a half years, I got to learn both inside backer, outside backer, all of [Vrabel’s knowledge]. He is really a highly intelligent player and, obviously, coach. He’s the one — I could kind of see myself being like him."
Vrabel is now the head coach of the New England Patriots, who are one of the top teams in the AFC. He called Bullough one of the smartest players he's ever coached while on another podcast.
Additionally, somebody else Bullough said he looked up to was Bill O'Brien, who was the head coach of the Texans at the time. He and Bullough overlapped at Alabama, as well.
O'Brien is now the head coach at Boston College, who Michigan State played in each of the last two seasons --- losing in 2024 and then winning in 2025.
Time at Alabama
Speaking of Alabama, Bullough got to learn from the greatest college football coach of all-time, Nick Saban, who was the head coach at MSU from 1995-1999.
"He was the opposite of what you’d think he’d be," Bullough said about Saban. "If you win, he’s all over your ass. If you lose, he’s going to bring you back up."
The Crimson Tide went 37-4 during the three seasons Bullough was a graduate assistant on the staff, winning the 2020 national championship in the process. One player Bullough coached in Tuscaloosa was Will Anderson, who was picked third overall by the Texans in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Arrival at Michigan State
Bullough also seemed to think that he'd be coaching this past weekend, as Notre Dame was slated to be in the first round of the College Football Playoff, but were actually left out during the committee's final reveal in favor of Miami (FL), who beat the Fighting Irish in Week 1.
But he's here now, and Bullough has quickly made himself at home, attending the Michigan State basketball game against Toledo last Tuesday. He seems ready to try and turn this program around.
"My goal is that when I die, when anyone talks about the top teams in the Big Ten, ‘Michigan State’ comes out of their mouth," Bullough said.
Bullough also said that he hadn't known Fitzgerald "personally" before taking the job, but that he had only heard good things. He also said that Fitzgerald had reached out to him about the job, rather than the other way around.
"Personally, I did not know Coach Fitz," Bullough said. "I had heard from every single person who knew Coach Fitz in any capacity, as a player, a coach, or just a person. [They] had awesome reviews. Just a great person. I’ve never heard one bad thing about Coach Fitz."
As for building a winning program in the future, Bullough has a pretty clear idea of the type of program he'd like to create.
“When I think about Michigan State, it’s a tough, blue-collar, hit-you-in-the-mouth football team and football program," he said.
"And in order to have that, you need to have the right people there that understand that, that can foster that, that can exemplify that, and that can continue to build and bring people in that are that way, because it’s not just the Spartan head on the wall that creates the culture, it’s the people, and you’ve got to get the right people in there to create the culture.”
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A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
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