Why MSU's Courtney Hawkins Considers Fitzgerald 'The Right Guy'

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- It's rare to see a position coach stick through not one, but two different coaching changes.

Courtney Hawkins has been on the Michigan State staff as the team's wide receivers coach since 2020. When the mantle changed from Mel Tucker to Jonathan Smith, he remained. And now, when it switched from Smith to Pat Fitzgerald, he stayed again in the same post on a new, two-year deal.

Michigan State wide receivers coach Courtney Hawkins speaks after a spring practice at the Skandalaris Football Center on the morning of Tuesday, April 7, 2026. | Jacob Cotsonika, Michigan State Spartans on SI

"I don't talk about myself, but when it comes to wide outs, on and off the field, I'm pretty good at what I do..." Hawkins said on Tuesday about his return. "I'm thankful to be back. Who wouldn't want to be here, man? It's like Disney World, it's like the greatest place on Earth. There's no place I'd rather be at this point in my life."

There's no doubt Hawkins cares about MSU. He's sixth on the program's all-time receiving list, after all. Through 10 spring practices, he's feeling good about the current direction.

Michigan State's wide receivers coach Courtney Hawkins looks on during the first day of football camp on Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

Hawkins' Thoughts on Fitzgerald

Hawkins says that he could have gotten jobs elsewhere. Given that receivers have generally been a strength of Michigan State's under Hawkins' watch, it's believable. But coaching at his alma mater is exactly where Hawkins wants to be, especially when there is work to be done to get the Spartans back off the ground.

"I wanna be part of the solution of getting our program back to dominance," Hawkins said. "We're not far away, not far away at all. We've got the right guy [in Fitzgerald] with great energy, holding the building accountable, holding the guys accountable, practicing like pros, practicing like every day is a game, meetings, the intensity."

Michigan State's head coach Pat Fitzgerald instructs players during spring football practice on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"The energy he brings at 5 a.m. in the morning is incredible. I mean, whatever he's putting in his coffee, I need a little bit of that. It's been phenomenal."

Fitzgerald's innate knowledge of life in the Big Ten is another plus for Hawkins. Playing as the Wildcats' head coach and then serving as the Wildcats' head coach for 17 seasons will certainly help with that. Smith, on the other hand, had played and coached around the West Coast and Rocky Mountain regions throughout his entire career.

Michigan State's wide receivers coach Courtney Hawkins looks on during the opening day of MSU's football fall camp on Thursday, Aug. 3, 2023, in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

"I think the more you understand the Big Ten, you give yourself a better opportunity to go out and win and compete against Big Ten teams," Hawkins said. "Fitz has got a tremendous understanding of what it takes in this particular league to win."

"One of the first things he came in and attacked was our size. He talked about it openly. So we went out in the portal, and it wasn't about going out getting a little cool wide outs that can run around and... We're like, 'Where's the biggest O-line, where's the biggest D-line?' Let's get back. This is what Michigan State has looked like over the years. We're gonna get back to that."