3 Observations from Fitzgerald's First Press Conference at MSU

EAST LANSING, Mich. --- Pat Fitzgerald was formally introduced on Tuesday afternoon as Michigan State's new head coach, and that may be the only moment where he gets to pause and take a breath for a while. He's got a recruiting class to sign on Wednesday, a staff to put together, current players to retain, and a transfer portal strategy to sort out.

Here are three things that I noticed from Fitzgerald's introduction at MSU. He also spoke further to the media after the televised portion was over. A video of that has been provided below.

Watch the Fitzgerald Scrum here:

Emotions

Michigan State's new football coach Pat Fitzgerald, right,, talks during his introductory press conference on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, at the Tom Izzo Football Building in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It's not a very high bar to clear, but Fitzgerald looked a little more amped up than Jonathan Smith ever was. That's not a personal dunk on Smith, but his level-headed approach never resonated, and that's a reason why Michigan State needed to move on.

Fitzgerald has been through a lot over the last few years. He was fired by Northwestern, his alma mater, after 17 seasons as the head coach there in the aftermath of a hazing scandal. The idea that he knew about hazing and did nothing about it made him unemployable at this level.

He sued NU for wrongful termination and settled with the school in August for an undisclosed amount. Fitzgerald said Tuesday that he felt "100% vindicated" by the ruling. Northwestern also said in a statement that "the evidence uncovered during extensive discovery did not establish that any player reported hazing to Coach Fitzgerald or that Coach Fitzgerald condoned or directed any hazing."

Fitzgerald was on the verge of tears a few times while talking about his family and the process of getting his name cleared.

Quick Reference of Michigan

One quick thing that'll resonate quickly with the fanbase is Fitzgerald's couple of references to the Michigan rivalry. The Spartans have lost the Battle for Paul Bunyan in each of their last four seasons.

"Every game is going to be a focus of victory and winning," Fitzgerald said. "But there's one game that just means a little bit more, doesn't it? I'll just leave that one there."

He also brought up the fact that he beat Michigan twice "with the neckroll on."

Fitzgerald knows the Big Ten. That was one of the things athletic J Batt brought up as a plus on Fitzgerald's resume. He knows the value that rivalry games hold in this conference, especially in-state ones that determine bragging rights at the water cooler for a year.

It was only a few quick references to the rivalry, but that matters to people. Even if it was something pre-prepared, that acknowledgement is important to some who would like to see the Paul Bunyan Trophy back in East Lansing.

Early Meetings Getting Done

Michigan State's new football coach Pat Fitzgerald, center, and MSU Athletic Director J Batt, left, meets with Spartans quarterback Alessio Milivojevic, right, while waiting for Fitzgerald's introductory press conference to start on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, at the Tom Izzo Football Building in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

As you can see above, Fitzgerald is already working to get everything in place. Certainly, starting quarterback Alessio Milivojevic, pictured above with Fitzgerald and Batt, is one player whom Fitzgerald would like to retain into 2026.

A Zoom meeting has already been held with the team, and individual meetings will probably be held that will likely clarify MSU's roster situation moving forward. Fitzgerald was joking that he had a lot of work to do immediately after his introductory press conference, as well.

He also said that he's been in contact with MSU's incoming recruits --- many of whom have announced that they are sticking with their commitments.

"My voice is a little raspy for a reason," Fitzgerald said. "The amount of FaceTimes I was on last night... I think I stopped at 11:30 [p.m.], when I was like, 'OK, I think this is too late to be calling kids in their homes.' I still have some more to get to today."

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