Michigan State head coach Pat Fitzgerald expected to hire Bryan Gasser as general manager
Gasser previously worked under Fitzgerald an an offensive analyst at Northwestern.
Michigan State head coach Pat Fitzgerald has found his general manager for his first staff in East Lansing, as he is expected to hire Bryan Gasser in the role, sources tell Spartans Illustrated. Gasser previously worked for Fitzgerald at Northwestern.
This is an important hire for the Spartans, as the general manager position is generally responsible for all aspects of roster management and oversees high school recruiting and transfer portal strategies.
Gasser most recently worked at Toledo as general manager of player personnel on head coach Jason Candle's staff for the 2025 season. Candle was recently hired as the head coach of Connecticut and reports surfaced that Gasser was expected to follow Candle to Storrs, but ultimately, Gasser will join the Spartans under Fitzgerald.
He was promoted by Candle to the position of general manager of player personnel in May of 2025. Prior to that, Gasser worked under Candle as Toledo's director of player personnel and recruiting coordinator in 2023 and 2024.
While at Toledo, Gasser led Toledo to the No. 1 recruiting class ranking in the Mid-American Conference for both the 2024 and 2025 classes, according to 247Sports. Notably, the Rockets’ 2024 class had a rating of 180.43, which, according to Toledo, was the highest ever rating in the MAC since 247Sports began ranking classes in 1999.
Gasser spent the 2022 season at Northwestern, working under Fitzgerald as an offensive analyst.
Before arriving in Evanston to join the Wildcats, Gasser spent three seasons at Akron as part of head coach Tom Arth's staff from 2019 until 2021. Gasser worked as the offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach for the Zips. While at Akron, he helped develop wide receiver Konata Mumpfield, who earned Freshman All-American honors by The Athletic and second-team All-MAC honors. Mumpfield, who later transferred to Pittsburgh, ended up being a seventh-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams.
Prior to arriving at Akron, Gasser worked for head coach Matt Campbell at Iowa State. Gasser served as the wide receivers coach for the Cyclones from 2016 through 2018. He also coached ISU's special teams units during his first two years in Ames.
While he was at Iowa State, Gasser coached wide receiver Allen Lazard, who was a first-team All-Big 12 selection twice. Lazard ended his career with school records in receptions (241), receiving yards (3,360) and 100-yard receiving games (12) before going on to find a successful career in the NFL. Gasser also mentored wide receiver Hakeem Butler while he was with the Cyclones. Butler earned second-team All-America honors by The Athletic, and set ISU's single-season receiving yardage record with 1,318 yards in 2018. Butler was later drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
Gasser followed Campbell to Iowa State after working with him for several seasons at Toledo, including when Campbell was head coach of the Rockets from 2012 through the 2015 season.
Gasser served in various roles for the Rockets during his first stint in Toledo. He worked as a graduate assistant in 2010 before taking a job as wide receivers coach and co-offensive coordinator at Notre Dame College, which is a Division II school in Ohio, in 2011. While with Notre Dame College, Gasser helped the Falcons set program records in scoring, yards per game and passing yards per game. He returned to Toledo in 2012 as a graduate assistant. In 2013, Gasser worked his way up to the role of director of high school relations, and then he was promoted to tight ends coach/special teams coordinator for the 2014 and 2015 seasons.
In the five years Gasser was on staff in his first stint at Toledo, the Rockets played in four bowl games and had four nine-win seasons.
In 2009, Gasser worked as the offensive line/special teams coach at Otsego High School in Ohio. During that time, Gasser earned his master’s degree in education from Bowling Green State University in 2010.
As a player, Gasser suited up at Ohio Northern University (Division III) from 2003 through 2005, earning All-OAC and Academic All-OAC honors at tight end in 2005. He then served as an assistant coach at ONU from 2006 until 2008, coaching tight ends and running backs. He coached three All-OAC players during his three-year tenure there. He earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Ohio Northern in 2009.
Cole Moore previously worked as Michigan State's general manager under recently fired head coach Jonathan Smith.