Former Vols offensive coordinator is heading to the NFL just weeks after he accepted a Big 10 coaching job

A former Tennessee Vols offensive coordinator is already on the move again.

Zach Ragan — Tennessee Volunteers News Writer
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A former Tennessee Vols offensive coordinator is heading to the NFL just weeks after he accepted a job in the Big 10.

In late December, former Tennessee offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian was named as Michigan State’s new offensive coordinator.

Michigan State hired former Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald as the Spartans’ new head coach earlier this offseason.

Bajakian, who served as Tennessee’s offensive coordinator in 2013 and 2014, previously worked with Fitzgerald for four seasons at Northwestern (2020 to 2023). The former Tennessee assistant coach spent the 2025 season as UMass’s offensive coordinator.

Michigan State, interestingly, hired former Alabama quarterbacks coach/co-offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan as the Spartans’ new offensive coordinator. Sheridan was a graduate assistant at Tennessee from 2014 to 2016, overlapping with Bajakian for one season.

Mike Bajakian is heading back to the NFL

Bajakian’s time at Michigan State didn’t last long.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported on Sunday that Bajakian is leaving Michigan State to join the Cleveland Browns’ coaching staff under new head coach Todd Monken.

Bajakian will reportedly serve as Cleveland’s quarterbacks coach.

Bajakian previously spent time in the NFL as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ quarterbacks coach from 2015 to 2018 (Bajakian and Monken overlapped for three seasons in Tampa). He also spent three seasons with the Chicago Bears as an offensive quality control coach (2004 to 2006).

The New Jersey native — Bajakian coincidentally attended the same high school, Bergen Catholic, as former Vols quarterback Jarrett Guarantano — will be tasked with developing Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders.

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