Jacob Lail - Staff Directory - Michigan State University Athletics

Staff Directory

Jacob Lail

Title:
Assistant Tight Ends Coach
Email:
Phone:
355-1647

Jacob Lail enters his fifth season at Michigan State in 2026, his first as an assistant tight ends coach.

Lail began coaching at MSU as a graduate assistant coach working with the offensive line from 2022-24; he was named assistant offensive line coach in January 2025. He enters his first season working with tight ends coach Brian Wozniak in 2026.

During the 2024 season, Lail helped develop left guard Luke Newman, who was selected in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft (No. 195 overall) by the Chicago Bears. Newman, an FCS transfer from Holy Cross, earned honorable mention All-Big Ten honors in his only year as a Spartan in 2024.

Lail joined the Spartan staff in 2022 and worked under former Spartan offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic for two seasons (2022-23). Lail then worked with Jim Michalczik for two seasons (2024-25).

Lail previously coached at Wayne State, joining the the Warriors’ football staff in the fall of 2020 as a graduate assistant coach working with the offensive line. He served in the same capacity in 2021 before moving to tight ends coach for spring ball in 2022.

During the 2021 campaign, he helped guide first-team All-GLIAC performer Landin Mitchell, and second-team All-GLIAC honoree Lane Potter. Potter was also the GLIAC’s McAvoy Award Winner (which is presented annually to a GLIAC football player who best combines outstanding character and leadership on the field, in the classroom and in the community) and earned second-team CoSIDA Academic All-America honors.

In his first year with the Warriors, Lail helped mentor 13 Academic All-GLIAC honorees, including 11 offensive linemen on the All-Academic Excellence Team for maintaining a 3.5 or better cumulative GPA.

A Racine, Wisconsin, native, Lail began his collegiate career as an H-Back at Carroll College (Waukesha, Wis.) in 2013. He transferred to Wisconsin for his final three years earning a bachelor’s degree in marketing.

Lail began his coaching career in 2018 after working in private industry. He was the offensive assistant working with offensive skill positions at Catonsville High School in Baltimore. The following year, he served as the graduate assistant running backs coach at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin.