Pat Fitzgerald expected to be next Michigan State football coach

Pat Fitzgerald, the former Northwestern head coach, has been named by many reporters and insiders as the next expected coach of Michigan State football. This comes after recent news only hours prior that Jonathan Smith was fired by MSU Athletic Director J Batt, with a $33 million buyout.

Fitzgerald was a hot commodity during this coaching cycle. Penn State and Florida were fellow programs who showed interest in Fitzgerald, via Matt Zenitz. The former Wildcat turns 51 this Tuesday, coincidentally when Michigan State basketball plays their next game at the Breslin Center against Iowa.

No contract has been officially signed, but sources who cannot speak publicly have said that J Batt has known this was coming for a long period of time. With Smith’s buyout due, the details of the contract itself will be interesting.

During his time at Northwestern, Fitzgerald went 110-101 over 17 seasons as the Wildcats head coach. In 2018 and 2020, Fitzgerald won the Big Ten West title, and was named the National Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year. At a place like Northwestern, where resources are not found lightly, winning a championship is a massive feat.

Northwestern did fire Fitzgerald in July 2023, due a team-wide hazing scandal. Fitzgerald then sued the private school for $130 millions later in 2023 in a wrongful termination lawsuit.

Speaking of penalties, with Michigan State’s recruiting punishments amid the list of violations occurred from 2022-24, getting Fitzgerald to coach the green and white could be seen as a step up. MSU has restrictions on official visits and has a part of their football budget taken by the NCAA.

Fitzgerald clearly sees an opportunity to compete in East Lansing, and with a higher amount of expected funding from the athletic department, Fitzgerald will begin to get to work as soon as the contract could be officially announced.

For now though, J Batt has appointed former defensive coordinator Joe Rossi as the interim head coach as the Spartans move into the offseason, after their victory against Maryland on Saturday. More news is slated to come out of the program, so stay tuned!