Marcus Freeman has been a hot name in the coaching carousel this fall, but it turns out there's another Notre Dame football coach that's the apple of Michigan State's eye if the Spartans move on from Jonathan Smith this winter. Linebackers coach Max Bullough's name is becoming a hot commodity among his peers, and there is even a concerted push by former MSU players to make him the next coach of their once proud program.
Last week, The Athletic's Chris Vaninni reported there's been a groundswell of support for Bullough to come back to East Lansing. He pointed out specifically that Marcus Rush, a defensive end who played with Bullough for the Spartans from 2011 to 2013, was leading the charge.
Former Spartans lobbying for Notre Dame football's Max Bullough to return to East Lansing
Bullough is currently the linebackers coach for Notre Dame and has been steadily rising as one of the young coaches getting quite a bit of attention. Leading a unit that has been one of the best in college football, Vannini was also named the Fighting Irish assistant to his list of "Coaching Carousel Risers" back in August.
A lot of former Michigan State players want former Spartan Max Bullough to come back as a coach. He's currently Notre Dame's LB coach and has impressed people in South Bend.
— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) October 28, 2025
I had him on my rising coaches list before the season: https://t.co/x5wJi034gr https://t.co/GS7KShf57G
"The former Michigan State linebacker has risen quickly through the ranks and could become a defensive coordinator soon. People around Notre Dame have been impressed by his move from graduate assistant to linebackers coach in South Bend in two seasons since coming over from Alabama."
Rush is far from the only former Michigan State player who is pushing for Bullough to take over for Jonathan Smith. According to Spartan Avenue's Connor Muldowney, guys like DeAnthony Arnett, Matt Seybert, Trae Waynes, Taiwan Jones, and Lawrence Thomas have all voiced their interest in seeing their former teammate lead the Spartans.
For now, Smith is still the man in East Lansing, but the program has struggled since he came over from Oregon State. Last year, MSU posted a 5-7 record and this year seem to have taken a step back as they're 3-6.
For his part, Notre Dame football head coach Marcus Freeman has said repeatedly he would absolutely encourage any of his assistants to pursue a promotion or head coaching job elsewhere if its best for them.