Fitzgerald's First Year at MSU Will Bring Improvement in These 3 Key Areas
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Lots must change for Michigan State football to turn things around.
The Spartans haven't made a bowl game in four seasons. MSU is hoping Pat Fitzgerald can end the program's longest streak of losing seasons since the '80s. Tons of changes have been made to the staff and with the roster, but the question remains about whether it will lead to more wins.
These three areas are some that seem to have been improved during the offseason:
Ground Game
Michigan State's run game seems to be one of the more optimistic parts of the roster, at least on paper. The Spartans have a pretty new offensive line, with at least three transfers set to be starters on the unit. MSU also got a litany of running backs from the portal to set up a much deeper room.
The ground attack for Michigan State was not up to par last season. MSU averaged 122.8 rushing yards per game last season, which ranked 110th in the FBS and 15th in the Big Ten. The Spartans averaged 3.78 yards per carry, too, which also was 15th in the conference.
UConn transfer Cam Edwards is the clear RB1 right now. He was 15th in the country last season with 1,240 rushing yards, getting into the endzone 15 times on the ground. Edwards probably should be the best running back Michigan State has had since Kenneth Walker III.
Other experienced options are backing him up, too. Fellow transfer addition Marvis Parrish was the RB1 at Western Kentucky as a true freshman in 2025. Iowa transfer Jaziun Patterson has had plenty of success in a backup role in the past with the Hawkeyes, and Brandon Tullis is back after running for 301 yards and four scores last season.
Special Teams Subtleties
One of the biggest moves that MSU made this offseason was hiring special teams coordinator LeVar Woods away from Iowa. He's one of the few special teams coaches now ahead of that $1 million salary barrier for a reason (he'll make an average of $1.2 million across his three-year contract with Michigan State).
Special teams shouldn't have been too much of an issue for the Spartans last season. Ryan Eckley was the first punter picked in this year's NFL Draft, after all. Kicker Martin Connington (now at Kansas) was at least serviceable. Despite that, ESPN's SP+ ranked Michigan State's special teams units at 103rd last season.
It ended up playing a relatively direct role in two losses last season. MSU had a punt blocked for a touchdown against Nebraska. The Spartans lost by 11 that day, but that play definitely altered the flow of the game a lot. It especially cost Michigan State against Iowa (and Woods). The Spartans allowed several long punt returns, including one for a touchdown, in a 3-point loss.
Not having a dedicated special teams coordinator didn't help, probably. Former running backs coach Keith Bhonapha and rush ends coach Chad Wilt split the responsibility. Having somebody fully dedicated to that phase of the game should do some good for Michigan State moving forward.
Sideline Energy
It seems like a small thing, but one of the biggest complaints about the Jonathan Smith era was a lack of energy on the sideline. The crossed-arms, stone-faced posture from Smith during games seemed to be a constant.
Teams usually look for a lot of opposites when they fire a coach. Smith is a West Coast guy; Fitzgerald is a Midwestern guy. Smith is an offensive-minded coach; Fitzgerald is defensive-minded. Smith is quiet and collected on the sidelines; Fitzgerald is a bit louder and more boisterous.
It goes down to the assistant coaches, too. The discussion about Smith's lack of energy on gamedays intensified last season when defensive coordinator Joe Rossi went down to the sidelines and helped flip the dynamic a bit. Broadcasts seem to show Rossi more often than Smith during the later stages of 2025. Fitzgerald ended up retaining Rossi this offseason, and he plans to remain on the sidelines in '26.
Defensive line coach Winston DeLattiboudere III is another energetic name. Coach "DeBo" is a very young member of the staff at only 28 years old, and when he talks, his energy sticks out within seconds. It's a smaller detail, but one common complaint from the past should be scratched off this fall.
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A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
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