Aaron Pflugrad - Staff Directory - Michigan State University Athletics

Staff Directory

Aaron Pflugrad

Title:
Offensive Pass Game Coordinator
Email:
Phone:
355-1647

Aaron Pflugrad, who spent his first season at Michigan State in 2024 as an offensive analyst, was named MSU's offensive pass game coordinator in January 2025.

Prior to arriving in East Lansing, Pflugrad spent the previous nine seasons at Northern Arizona (2015-23), including the last six years as the offensive coordinator for the Lumberjacks. He was NAU’s wide receivers coach his first three years in Flagstaff before getting elevated to offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2018.

Turning Northern Arizona's offense over to true freshman RJ Martinez, Pflugrad helped the first-year Lumberjack earn Big Sky Freshman of the Year in 2021 after Martinez helped the Lumberjacks beat Arizona for the first time since 1932, as well as retain control of the Grand Canyon Trophy against Southern Utah, and win three road games for the first time since 2014.

Pflugrad was influential in the development of NAU graduates Emmanuel Butler, Elijah Marks and Case Cookus, as well as multiple other All-Big Sky honorees.

Cookus finished his career as the program's all-time leader in many passing statistics, including yards (12,802), touchdowns (105), attempts (1,431) and completions (892). Additionally, Cookus' 2019 season landed him second in the voting for the Walter Payton Award as he set single-season records for passing yards (4,114), passing attempts (481) passing completions (290). As an offense, Northern Arizona finished 10th in scoring (37.2 points per game) and third in total offense (484.1 yards) among 124 FCS programs.

Pflugrad aided in the development of Marks' earning All-America status in 2017 and an invite to the Kansas City Chiefs training camp. Butler ended his career as the Lumberjacks' career leader in touchdowns receptions and receiving yards and joined the New Orleans Saints roster for the 2019-20 season.

In 2016, the NAU receivers racked up 3,507 receiving yards at an average of 318.8 per game. Thirty-four touchdown receptions were recorded for the second most in school history. In Pflugrad’s first season with NAU, he coached wide receiver Butler to All-American and All-Big Sky First Team accolades.

Under Pflugrad’s guidance, Butler broke the 16-year old school record in all-time receiving yards in a season with 1,208 and tied the school record for touchdown receptions with 15. Butler became the ninth player in school history to reach the 1,000-yard receiving mark in a season, while finishing Top 10 in the FCS in receiving touchdowns (second), receiving yards per game (fourth), and receiving yards (sixth).

NAU players tallied 3,335 receiving yards in 2015, the most since 2009 for the Lumberjacks. NAU’s 39 touchdown receptions set a new school record, breaking the previous mark of 32 set back in 1999.

Pflugrad arrived at NAU after spending the previous two seasons as a graduate assistant with Arizona State. While with the Sun Devils, Pflugrad worked with the wide receivers and helped develop Jaelen Strong into a first-team All-America honoree.

Pflugrad began his collegiate playing career at Oregon, where he was a two-year letterman (2007-08) and honorable mention All-Pac-10 Academic Team member. He finished the final two years of his college career at Arizona State (2010-11) where he was a William V. Campbell Trophy semifinalist, two-time All-Pac-12 Academic Team member, Pac-12 Tom Hansen Conference Medal of Honor winner and CoSIDA First Team Academic All-District VII honoree. He played in a combined 47 games at Oregon and ASU, tallying 96 career catches for 1,241 yards and eight touchdowns, including a career-best 44 receptions for 665 yards and five TDs as a senior in 2011.

Out of ASU, Pflugrad signed a free agent contract with the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League. He went on to play in the United Football League with the Omaha Nighthawks for the 2012 season.

Pflugrad graduated from Arizona State with a degree in business marketing in 2011. He also earned a master’s degree in liberal studies with a focus in sports leadership from ASU.

His father, Robin, was a longtime college football coach and was the head coach for two seasons (2010-11) at Montana, when MSU head football coach Jonathan Smith was the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach for the Grizzlies.