How MSU's Line has Changed with New Coach Tabacca
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Michigan State is going to be looking for better from its offensive line moving forward.
The change from Jonathan Smith to Pat Fitzgerald has led to a ton of moving parts, both with assistant coaches and with players. Fitzgerald's hire for offensive line coach is Nick Tabacca, who previously was the longtime OL coach at Wake Forest. He's replacing Jim Michalczik in that position.
Tabacca did not seem to coach anywhere in college during the 2025 season after he wasn't retained by new Wake Forest head coach Jake Dickert, but he was in Winston-Salem for 11 seasons alongside the now-retired head coach Dave Clawson. It was there where he developed Matt Gulbin, who transferred to MSU last offseason and was the Spartans' starting center in 2025.
Gulbin is one of four starting offensive linemen who are leaving the program. The only one coming back is right tackle Conner Moore. Also leaving are left tackle Stanton Ramil (transferring to Auburn), guard, left guard Gavin Broscious (transferring to Iowa State), and guard Caleb Carter (out of eligibility). Tabacca has gotten to work in getting his new offensive line together.
Incoming Transfers
UConn LT Ben Murawski
The very first portal commitment for Michigan State came from UConn left tackle Ben Murawski. Standing at 6-foot-7 and 335 pounds, Murawski is considered to be an elite run-blocker. He started at left tackle for the Huskies this past season and might be the person who is in charge of protecting MSU quarterback Alessio Milivojevic's blind side this year.
Murawski has one year of eligibility remaining. He was ranked 214th overall and 17th among offensive tackles in On3's transfer portal rankings.
Georgia Southern RT Robert Wright Jr.
Another nice add for the future is Georgia Southern transfer Robert Wright Jr., who started this past season at right tackle for the Eagles. He's one of Michigan State's highest-ranked portal additions, currently slotted at 177th overall and 12th among offensive tackles.
A bit reason for that is that Wright has three years of eligibility remaining. He didn't commit a penalty in 2025 and is listed on GSU's roster at 6-foot-4 and 295 pounds.
South Carolina LG Nick Sharpe
One familiar face for Tabacca will be Nick Sharpe, who began his career at Wake Forest before transferring to South Carolina last offseason. Sharpe appeared in nine total games for the Gamecocks this past season, making five starts. He'll be a serious candidate to start at MSU, too.
The 6-foot-2, 335-pound native of Gastonia, N.C. has one year of eligibility remaining. On3 ranked him 952nd overall on the portal and 82nd among interior offensive linemen.
North Dakota State C Trent Fraley
The Spartans' current projected starter at center is North Dakota State transfer Trent Fraley. He won the FCS's Rimington Award, which named him as the top center in Division I's lower half. Still, for teams at that level, facing NDSU is comparable to facing Nick Saban at Alabama; you don't win very often.
Fraley is also the son of Detroit Lions OL coach Hank Fraley. Trent has one year of eligibility left, and it'll be used in East Lansing.
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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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