Grading Michigan State’s New Football Coach Hire Pat Fitzgerald

There was very little surprise that Michigan State University fired their football coach Jonathan Smith after just two seasons in which he had an overall record of 4-15 after some wins were vacated. The Spartans were now on the look for their third coach in just 4 years, hoping to find better than they have had recently.

Get our free mobile app

They escaped disaster with Mel Tucker after the allegations that came forward, they were able to find cause for firing him and wouldn't have to pay him out almost $100 million dollars. Now, after having a short leash with Smith they will have to pay him $30 million, but it makes sense as Smith went 0-6 against ranked opponents at MSU.

It didn't take long for Michigan State to start cruising the streets for their new coach and they settled on their next hire fairly quickly. They decided to hire a coach that has experience in the Big Ten and has built a lower-level conference team into a contender. Michigan State hired Pat Fitzgerald, former Northwestern Head Football Coach from 2006-2023.

What Do You Think About Michigan State Hiring Pat Fitzgerald?

Now, this name might sound familiar to you for a couple of reasons, some of them may be good and others may be bad. Fitzgerald is known for his time at Northwestern as a player in the 1990s, a consensus All-American, multi-time Big Ten Champion, and more during his playing days. He then took over the Wildcats after the unexpected death of then head coach Randy Walker in 2006.

He would go on to lead the Wildcats until 2023 and would end his coaching career there with twice as many wins as any other Northwestern Football coach. Unfortunately, every story can't end happily ever after. Fitzgerald's name was muddied when he released from Northwestern following hazing allegations and his supposed knowledge of the situation.

Obviously, this raises red flags with a program like Michigan State that has had issues with culture in the past. Another flaw of Fitzgerald is recruiting; will he be able to recruit at the level that MSU will need to compete against Michigan? Ohio State? In the College Football Playoff? In all his years coaching, he couldn't get Northwestern to a record better than 10-3 after a bowl game win.

While there are tons of great things about Pat Fitzgerald there are some glaring red flags for fans and players to consider as well. We will find out in due time if this was the right decision for the Spartans or if they should've gone with a different coaching hire.