One Assistant Coach Who Will Quietly Shape MSU Under Fitzgerald
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Michigan State is investing more into its special teams units than most.
Special teams coordinators don't get the spotlight or the glory that offensive and defensive coordinators do, but MSU's LeVar Woods is as much of a splash hire as there is for his position. Woods is going to be one of the highest-paid special teams coordinators in college football this coming season, making $1.1 million.
Why Woods Was Huge Hire
Getting Woods in the first place was a bit of a stunner. He had been part of the staff at Iowa, his alma mater, in some regard since 2008. The job as the Spartans' special teams coordinator and assistant head coach is the first coaching job he's had in his career anywhere else.
Woods' title of assistant head coach, as well as the pretty lucrative salary for a special teams coach, means that the expectation for Michigan State in the third phase of the game should be nothing short of elite. That was the standard Woods established for his special teams units at Iowa. Special teams were the main difference in the game between MSU and the Hawkeyes last season.
On a wider scope, special teams made the difference between the Spartans making and not making a bowl game in 2025. They would've won that game in Iowa City with a better game plan (a.k.a. don't kick it to Kaden Wetjen), and Michigan State probably wins that game at Nebraska had it not had a punt blocked for a touchdown and a turnover on a kickoff. There was also a missed chip-shot field goal that might've prevented overtime in that loss to Minnesota.
That's three games right there that came down to some pretty preventable things. Flip those three results, Michigan State ends up finishing 7-5, the Spartans go to a bowl game, and I'm probably writing about how Year 2 was a relative success for Jonathan Smith. MSU wasn't exactly the most talent-rich team out there last year, but that 4-8 record could've ended differently.
Winning on the Margins
Iowa doesn't play a style of football optimized for entertainment value, but it's something worth modeling and taking note of for the Pat Fitzgerald era at MSU. Kirk Ferentz is one of Fitzgerald's friends in the league, given the many battles the two had in the old Big Ten West, and also because Fitzgerald's son, Ryan, is now a quarterback for the Hawkeyes.
Let's face it, Michigan State probably isn't going to have a top-15 or top-25 recruiting class for a bit. That doesn't mean the Spartans can't find success. Iowa has consistently ranked its recruiting classes in the 30s and 40s, yet the Hawkeyes have been a model of consistency for a long time. Iowa hasn't missed out on bowl eligibility since 2012.
Woods' special teams units have been a major reason Iowa keeps finding ways to win games, even without a ton of talent and with some pretty horrendous offenses. According to CBS, Iowa's special teams units have led the nation in EPA (expected points added) by a wide margin since 2016. Michigan State's special teams have ranked 101st in that same timeframe, despite having some good-to-great specialists in Bryce Baringer, Ryan Eckley, and Jonathan Kim.
That's because special teams success can be more subtle than offensive or defensive success. One doesn't get to judge special teams just by how many points they score, like one can with the other two phases. A good special teams unit helps out both of those phases. Perhaps a punt returner gets tackled immediately instead of getting let loose for 10-15 yards, or a punt goes out of bounds a little further. Perhaps the kick returner goes down a few yards further back.
Those little 5- or 10-yard increments add up over the course of a season, and sometimes it just shows during a game. Downing a punt at the three, rather than having it be a touchback, is huge for the landscape of a game. Teams near the goal line are basically forced to run, and it usually results in a quick punt. That means your own offense is getting the ball at least 17 more yards closer to the goal line than it would have otherwise, and now the game is tilted a bit in your favor.
Woods is probably going to be a head coach someday, too. He's one of the best special teams coaches in college football. If there is a phase to expect true, high-quality execution from, it's the special teams.
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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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