EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State has officially hired longtime Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald to lead its football program.
Jonathan Smith was fired over the weekend after finishing his second season in East Lansing with a 4-8 record. Smith, who came to Michigan State from Oregon State, went 9-15 overall and 4-14 in Big Ten play.
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Fitzgerald gives the Spartans something that Smith lacked: An understanding of football in the Midwest. He was born in Illinois and played linebacker at Northwestern before spending more than 20 years on the coaching staff.
In 17 seasons as the head coach of Northwestern from 2006-2022, Fitzgerald went 110-101, including three 10-win seasons and four bowl wins in five yers from 2016-2020.
In 2020, Northwestern went 7-2, won the Citrus Bowl, and finished in the AP top 10. Fitzgerald led the Wildcats to Big Ten Championship Game berths in 2018 and 2020.
During his time at Northwestern, Fitzgerald was known for getting the most out of his teams. Northwestern was never really in the national conversation, but it was always competitive.
If Fitzgerald can do that in Evanston, Michigan State is hoping for even more as he takes over in East Lansing.
Fitzgerald should be able to recruit a higher caliber of athlete to Michigan State, especially if new athletic director J Batt can support the university’s NIL commitments.
Fitzgerald recently settled a lawsuit he had filed against Northwestern after he was dismissed during allegations of hazing within the program. His teams went 3-9 and 1-11 during his final two seasons.
Michigan State has struggled since a phenomenal six-year run from Mark Dantonio teams culminated in a College Football Playoff appearance in 2015. From 2010-2015, the Spartans went 65-16 with a Rose Bowl victory and a Cotton Bowl victory, as well as the aforementioned playoff appearance.
Since 2015, Michigan State has had just two successful seasons -- a 10-3 record in 2017 and an 11-2 record in 2021. The program has had a losing record in five of the past six seasons.