Opportunity in Transition: MSU TE Brennan Parachek sees growth at the halfway point of spring
Through seven spring practices, Michigan State tight end Brennan Parachek speaks on coaching changes, his decision to stay at MSU and the new identity forming in the tight ends room.
Michigan State tight end Brennan Parachek had no hesitation when asked about what has stood out to him the most through the first half of spring practices. Parachek is a redshirt junior and is entering his fourth year with the Spartans, but this year has a new feel and a new energy.
“I mean, you guys can see Coach Fitz,” Parachek said. “The energy he has, the passion he has for the game. I don't see another coach in the country that you would want to play for. He comes into the building fired up, getting us ready to go.”
Of course, “Coach Fitz” is MSU football’s new head coach, Pat Fitzgerald, whose arrival has been a spark plug for a program facing adversity over the last few seasons. Through seven practices of spring football, the tone inside the facility has been flipped, defined by urgency and a push for improvement.
Spring football is a time for growth and evaluation, but for MSU, this spring carries added responsibilities. Changing head coaches can disrupt rhythm and challenge relationships. Parachek feels players are adapting quickly, even though there is no perfect way to prepare for a shift at the head.
“I mean, nothing can really prepare you for a coaching change, I feel like,” Parachek said. “But you just have to be ready to come into work every day. That's kind of our motto: 'Get better every day.' Do something to get better every day.”
This is not the first time that Parachek has gone through a head coaching change at Michigan State. When he joined the Spartans in January 2023, MSU's head coach at the time was Mel Tucker. Tucker was fired for cause due to sexual harassment allegations early on during the 2023 season and the Spartans assigned Harlon Barnett as interim head coach. MSU then hired Jonathan Smith in November of 2023. Smith was fired after the 2025 season and Fitzgerald was hired on Dec. 1, 2025.
With Fitzgerald came a new assembled coaching staff at Michigan State, including offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan, who has spent the last two seasons at Alabama. There’s no easing into transition for the offensive room, but Parachek explains that Sheridan has been a beneficial change. For him, the new coaching staff did the opposite of deterring him from returning to the Green and White. He wanted to remain in East Lansing.
