MSU Insider Explains How Spartans Pulled Off Pat Fitzgerald Hiring
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Amidst many coaching changes and issues in college football, Michigan State was still able to pull off an amazing hire when they found Pat Fitzgerald available and signed him to the team.
Fitzgerald was one of, if not the best, option on the market with head coaches, and he has already begun to work hard for the Spartans.
Some say that luck does not take a part in recruiting or coaching hires, but with Fitzgerald, it seems as though MSU had to have had luck on its side, because he had two other options available to him: Michigan and Notre Dame.
Both schools did much better than the Spartans did in the regular season this year, and each could, and should, have been able to get Fitzgerald over MSU.
However, dedicated Spartan and prominent journalist Hondo Carpenter, as well as attorney John Schopp, has an answer that explains the absurdity of what led to MSU landing such a good coach.
Their argument on how MSU acquired Fitzgerald is below, and their arguments will be briefly summarized further down.
The Argument: Pat Fitzgerald Is A Fit For MSU Culture, And MSU Culture Is A Good Fit For Pat Fitzgerald
- Spartan Nation desperately needed a fiery coach after the Mel Tucker debacle, and when they hired Jonathan Smith, they expected that personality.
- Unfortunately, Smith turned out to be the exact opposite, tending to be more reserved, tempered, and even sometimes apathetic-looking on the sidelines.
- Furthermore, Smith did not even try to attend other sporting events for the Spartans in almost any capacity.
- However, with Fitzgerald, MSU has found a perfect personality fit, as he not only has a passionate heart for the team but is also loyal to the team in every regard, showing up and rooting for the Spartans even in hockey and basketball games.
- MSU culture is also the most appetizing place to be in from Fitzgerald's standpoint, as they had been craving for someone like him for the longest time, and it was his pleasure to oblige.
- He also has many, many high-quality connections and friendships with and near the Spartans, and East Lansing became much more appetizing a place to be in because of that as well.
- He won't be the type of person to jump ship quickly, so MSU pursued him harder than any other school, eventually leading to finding a deal between the two parties making it an A+ hire on both sides.
- As Carpenter said it, Fitzgerald is "the football equivalent of Izzo", which is a coach that every sport needs and MSU has found for football, and he could very well end up retiring with the team.
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Nathan Berry is a senior at NCCS and was raised a Michigan State Spartan fan. With a great interest in sports and writing, journalism is a great avenue to pursue both.