Why Fitzgerald, Bartholomae Good Pairing for MSU Football Resurgence
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EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State has yet another athletic director and football coach duo to break in.
The Spartans went in reverse order. Former AD J Batt hired Pat Fitzgerald back in December and then left MSU for Kentucky in June. Michigan State hired Western Michigan AD Dan Bartholomae to replace Batt on Monday.
Why Pairing Can Work
What MSU knows it'll get from both Fitzgerald and Bartholomae is a great level of resourcefulness. Fitzgerald held the toughest job in the Big Ten at Northwestern for 17 seasons, regularly fielding competitive teams at a place that was the conference's doormat for decades. The Wildcats became the losingest team in the FBS last season, "surpassing" Indiana.
Bartholomae put together the best athletic department the MAC could offer. He hired Lance Taylor as the Broncos' head football coach early in his tenure, and Taylor delivered a MAC championship and 10 wins last year. Bartholomae was also there for the men's ice hockey team's national title in 2025, WMU's first national title in any sport in 60 years. Western Michigan finished atop the MAC in the Learfield Director's Cup standings each of the last three years.
That "do more with less" history is key. Michigan State is in a tight spot: it has a fanbase that expects competitive teams year in and year out, but the football program is a long way from being that right now. The Spartans' four-year bowl drought is the longest in the Big Ten, and most seem to think it'll reach five this fall.
Bartholomae's job will be to deliver Fitzgerald the resources he needs to get MSU back. Fitzgerald didn't operate like a big-money spender during his first offseason in East Lansing. He probably won't ever get the numbers Oregon, Ohio State, and some others get, but it seems clear that improvement is necessary on the NIL/revenue-share front.
Fitzgerald's Vision for Relationship
Fitzgerald (sort of) was able to give a reaction to the athletic director hiring on Monday. He wasn't really able to speak about Bartholomae directly -- his press conference was sandwiched between the few hours when the news broke and when the school made it official -- but he did share his thoughts on how he and the new AD can coexist.
"Honesty, transparency, the ability to sit down and have hard conversations and create a plan," Fitzgerald said when asked about an ideal coach-to-AD relationship. "That means the next 12 months, the next 36 months, the next five years, what is our plan? What do we see are priorities? It's my job to help that person be better in whatever that means."
Fitzgerald was still disappointed to see Batt leave this summer -- he was the guy who gave him his second chance, after all. Still, the fact that Michigan State was able to hold on to president Kevin Guskiewicz is huge here. Had he stuck with his original plan and gone to Clemson, the school would probably still be worrying about who would replace him, let alone who the next AD would be.
"I just believe in the direction here..." Fitzgerald said. "When president Guskiewicz made the decision to come back, it was a huge, 'Let's go.' I trust and belive that leadership. I know he and the people that he's put together to select our next athletic director will make the right decision. I couldn't be more excited about the direction of the athletic departments and the university."
Reaction to Bartholomae Hiring
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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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