Jacksonville State Coach Confirms He’s Following Rich Rodriguez to WVU

As more news continues to come out concerning Rich Rodriguez’s staff at WVU, a coach who will be following him from Jacksonville State confirmed his addition as part of a farewell message on Sunday.

“Two of the best seasons of my life! Thank you Jax st. For welcoming my family and for all of the memories you gave us! Was an absolute honor and privilege to coach the ‘23/‘24 Jax St. Slots and TEs! Excited for our next chapter in Almost Heaven West Virginia!,” said Michael Nysewander on Sunday. He also added #HardEdge to the end of his post. 

Michael Nysewander confirms he’s following Rich Rodriguez to join the WVU staff in his farewell message to Jacksonville State. Let’s just say he’s experienced a lot of winning during his career as both a player and coach.

— Mike J. Asti (@MikeAsti11) December 29, 2024

Nysewander served as the tight ends and inside receivers coach at Jacksonville State. Even though it’s believed Blaine Stewart is being retained, Nysewander is expected to continue in a similar capacity to his role with the Gamecocks while working under Rodriguez again at WVU.

He joined Rodriguez at Jacksonville State in 2023 after a three-year stint at Ole Miss under Lane Kiffin as a senior analyst.

Below includes information from Nysewander’s page on the Jacksonville State website:

A native of Brimingham, Ala., Nysewander is a 2015 graduate of the University of Alabama and received his 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.

Wearing the number 46 on his Alabama jersey, he earned the nickname “Highway 46” for his knack to open lanes for running backs like Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry during his time in Tuscaloosa.

Following his college playing career, Nysewander signed with the Kansas City Chiefs as a rookie free agent.

He started his coaching career at Samford, where he was the Bulldogs’ running backs coach before joining Kiffin’s support staff at Florida Atlantic in 2017. He would later follow Kiffin to Ole Miss.

For a related story, WVU HC Rich Rodriguez talks about hiring Zac Alley.