Why MSU's Fitzgerald Among Most Interesting Coaches in College Football
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Hiring a coach with 17 years of Big Ten head coaching experience normally wouldn't be considered all that experimental, but that's definitely a way to describe Michigan State's decision to hire Pat Fitzgerald.
A few days ago, Sports Illustrated's Pat Forde released a list of the 25 "most intriguing" college football coaches this season. Fitzgerald came in at 16th on the list ahead of the start of his first season in East Lansing. The Northwestern alum's first campaign with MSU, and his tenure as a whole, will certainly be interesting to watch.
Why Fitzgerald Was Interesting Hire
Hand up, I had some real doubts when news broke that the Spartans were hiring Fitzgerald the day after the 2025 season concluded, and a mere hour or so after Jonathan Smith was fired. Fitzgerald hadn't coached college football for three seasons; he went 4-20 across his final two years at Northwestern, and his exit in the wake of a hazing scandal was another concern, although NU said in a statement that evidence didn't show that the hazing had been reported to Fitzgerald.
Even if Fitzgerald should have been out of coaching for three years or not, he'd been out of coaching for three years. That's an eternity in today's college sports sphere, with how rapidly things have changed. Fitzgerald was around Kirk Ferentz and Iowa a lot (his son is a quarterback there now) and definitely seemed to make an effort to learn what he can about the NIL and revenue-sharing part of the sport now, but he still hadn't really been in charge of that type of thing.
The idea behind Fitzgerald was to get a coach who had a history of punching above his weight class. On the surface, Fitzgerald's career 110-101 record and 65–76 Big Ten record isn't very thrilling. This is all at Northwestern, though -- potentially the toughest job in the conference. Fitzgerald's 110 wins are more than double second-place Pappy Waldorf's 49.
Let's face it: Michigan State probably isn't going to ever truly match the might of the top of the Big Ten resource-wise and NIL-wise. But, if Fitzgerald can "do more with less" the way he did at Northwestern, MSU is enough of a job upgrade that I think the Spartans semi-regularly contending for the CFP (if it stays at 12) isn't that crazy of an expectation.
Northwestern had a nine-year stretch from 2012 to 2020 where it finished ranked five times. That was pretty much Fitzgerald maxing things out over there. Mark Dantonio proved that national prominence is possible at Michigan State in the early to mid-2010s. The question is whether that "do more with less" formula, which relies heavily on internal development and retention, can work in the transfer portal era.
Outlook for 2026
I don't think this will be the year that the Fitzgerald hiring shows a ton of returns, at least in the win column. My prediction ahead of fall camp was 5-7, with a 3-6 record against Big Ten foes. Fitzgerald added a few impressive players in the transfer portal, but he and his new staff didn't seem to be moving like they had an above-average Big Ten budget.
This is a problem for the next AD to address, but I'd have to imagine raising money for the football team has its difficulties right now. It's a bit of a vicious cycle. MSU hasn't made a bowl game in four years. Therefore, it's more difficult to convince donors to invest in the football program. That leads to even worse results.
Fitzgerald's energetic demeanor and his willingness not to shy away from big goals (Big Ten and national titles) have won over the fans, but there are rarely bad things to say about a new coach before a snap is played. Coaches don't get time like they used to anymore -- the poor results from Smith in a mere 24 games were enough for Michigan State to light about $30 million on fire, after all. Progress and an identity that can be bought into need to be shown right away this season.
One reassurance for the Spartans is Fitzgerald's deal. He gets substantial bonuses of $500,000 for regular-season victories of 6-8 every year. That means an additional $500,000 for reaching 6-6, $1 million for 7-5, and $1.5 million for 8-4. It's the same bonus if he were to win a national title. Obviously, coaches always want to win, but Fitzgerald's pay is more closely tied to performance than most deals.
Overall, Fitzgerald feels like a hire with both a high ceiling and a low floor. If it doesn't work out, it could really not work out, which is why those final 3-9 and 1-11 years at Northwestern are a concern. If it does work out, though, Michigan State should regularly play decent bowl games or be in the CFP each year, and I don't think Fitzgerald would jump to another job, given how loyal he was to Northwestern in the past.
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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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