Rodriguez Tabs Nysewander as Tight Ends Coach
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (January 3, 2025) – West Virginia University football coach Rich Rodriguez has announced that Michael Nysewander has been hired as the tight ends coach on the Mountaineer coaching staff.
“I am happy that Michael is joining the coaching staff at West Virginia,” Rodriguez said. “He is a good offensive coach who did an outstanding job for the past two years as a member of my staff at Jacksonville State. He brings additional experience with him including several years at Ole Miss and will be a great addition to the WVU coaching staff.”
Nysewander rejoins Rodriguez after serving as his inside receivers/tight ends coach for the past two years at Jacksonville State.
In 2024, he helped lead the Gamecocks to a 9-5 record, the Conference USA championship and a spot in a second straight bowl game. The JSU offense finished No. 4 in FBS in rushing, No. 6 in first-down offense, No. 8 in passing yards per completion, No. 11 in scoring offense and No. 21 in total offense.
Jax State made history during the 2023 season, posting a 9-4 record during their first season at the FBS level and winning the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl. Tight end Sean Brown was a big part of that success, earning All-Conference USA Second Team honors, finishing with 19 receptions, with five going for touchdowns.
He joined the Gamecocks after spending three seasons at Ole Miss, where he served as head coach Lane Kiffin’s senior analyst. During those three seasons, the Rebels went to three bowl games, including the Sugar Bowl and had a 10-win campaign in 2021.
A native of Birmingham, Alabama, Nysewander graduated from Alabama in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in communication studies. While with the Crimson Tide, he was an H-back/tight end and helped head coach Nick Saban’s program to three national championships and SEC championships. Kiffin was his offensive coordinator at Alabama from 2014-16.
Following his college playing career, he signed with the Kansas City Chiefs as a rookie free agent. He started his coaching career as a member of the offensive and special teams’ staff for Kiffin at FAU in 2017 for two years before becoming the assistant director of player development. He then was the running backs coach at Samford before rejoining Kiffin at Ole Miss.
Nysewander and his wife, Alexandra, have two children, Nicholas and Isabella.
