Notre Dame LBs coach Max Bullough accepts job with Michigan State

After three years in South Bend, Notre Dame football linebackers coach Max Bullough is leaving the Irish for his alma mater.

On Wednesday, SpartanMag publisher Jim Comparoni reported that Bullough has accepted a position on the Michigan State football coaching staff. Blue & Gold’s Mike Singer can confirm Comparoni’s report.

Bullough is joining Spartans defensive coordinator Joe Rossi in a co-defensive coordinator/linebackers coach role. After MSU hired new head coach Pat Fitzgerald on Dec. 1, he retained Rossi, who has been with the team for two years. Bullough played linebacker for the Spartans from 2010 to 2013 and was a two-time captain, three-year starter and third-team All-American.

Following a five-year stint in the pros, Bullough joined Irish coach Marcus Freeman’s defensive staff at Cincinnati in 2019 as a graduate assistant. After three years in a similar role at Alabama, Freeman pulled Bullough away from the Tide for a graduate assistant position at Notre Dame in 2023. He served as the de facto linebackers coach alongside former Irish defensive coordinator Al Golden.

Before the 2024 season, Freeman promoted Bullough to linebackers coach, a role he has held for two years. Under his direction, three former Irish linebackers have been drafted. Marist Liufau and JD Bertrand went Nos. 87 and 143, respectively, to the Dallas Cowboys and Atlanta Falcons in 2024. Then the Jacksonville Jaguars selected Jack Kiser with the No. 107 pick in 2025.

With Bullough’s help, the Irish have another potential NFL Draft pick in Drayk Bowen, who can forego his senior year or wait to declare until after the 2026 season. Before Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa’s season-ending knee injury against Syracuse, he was playing like one of the best linebackers in college football. Redshirt sophomore Jaiden Ausberry and true freshman Madden Faraimo have both made major strides under Bullough, too.

A look at Max Bullough’s recruiting résumé while at Notre Dame

Faraimo and Viliamu-Asa were two of Notre Dame’s biggest recruiting victories when Bullough was in South Bend. Both were top-100 overall players from Southern California who ranked as the No. 4 linebacker recruits in their respective classes, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking.

This past year, Bullough served as the primary recruiter for four-star linebacker Thomas Davis Jr., the son of former NFL Pro Bowl linebacker Thomas Davis Sr. The younger Davis is the No. 14 linebacker in the 2026 class and held offers from nearly every major school, including Georgia, his father’s alma mater.

In addition to those three recruits, Bullough helped sign another four-star prospect in 2024: Anthony Sacca, the No. 34 linebacker in the class out of Philadelphia. He also signed four three-star prospects: Bodie Kahoun (No. 47 LB, 2024, Roanoke, Va.), Teddy Rezac (No. 55 LB, 2024, Omaha, Neb.), Ko’o Kia (No. 58 LB, 2025, Honolulu) and Kobe Clapper (No. 44 LB, 2026, Cincinnati).

Bullough is a product of Traverse City (Mich.) St. Francis. In the 2010 recruiting cycle, he was a four-star prospect who ranked as the No. 265 overall player, No. 21 linebacker nationally and No. 6 recruit in Michigan. After four years at Michigan State, he signed with the Houston Texans as an undrafted free agent.