Michigan State brings Pat Fitzgerald back to Big Ten as head coach

Pat Fitzgerald is back in the Big Ten as head coach of the Michigan State Spartans, the school announced on Monday.

The contract for the former Northwestern coach is for five years, according to multiple reports.

"I am honored to be named the head football coach at Michigan State University," said Fitzgerald. "I'd like to thank President Guskiewicz and Athletics Director Batt for this opportunity. This is a program with a deep and storied tradition, a passionate fan base, and a commitment to excellence that extends far beyond the football field. What excited me most about this opportunity was the vision for what Michigan State can be for years to come. We will restore tradition, and I'm eager to earn the trust of our players, alumni, and fans while competing at the highest level."

Fitzgerald, 50, will be formally introduced at a Tuesday press conference in East Lansing and is the third coach of the Spartans in just over two years' time.

"Today marks the beginning of a new era for Michigan State Football," director of athletics J Batt said. "Pat Fitzgerald is widely recognized as an exceptional football coach, whose teams play with extreme toughness and grit, demonstrate continual improvement and maximize potential. Pat is an excellent fit for Michigan State Football, as he understands the Big Ten, has great relationships throughout the Midwest and embodies the values on which our program was built. His incredible passion will resonate throughout the program, connecting with all members of our Spartan community, including student-athletes, coaches, staff, alumni and donors."

The Jonathan Smith era ended when he was fired Sunday after eight losses in the final nine games of the season, capping a two-year stint with the program at 4-15 because of the NCAA vacating five wins from 2024. He has more than $30 million remaining on his contract.

Fitzgerald last coached in 2022 for Northwestern. The Wildcats went 110-101 across his 17 seasons while recording a few double-digit-win campaigns and claiming a handful of bowl victories.

Fitzgerald finished his last two seasons with the program a combined 4-20 and was fired in July 2023 due to a hazing scandal that the school said included "forced participation, nudity and sexualized acts of a degrading nature."

"Pat Fitzgerald is a proven leader who understands the full mission of intercollegiate athletics -- competitive excellence, academic achievement, and the holistic development of student-athletes," said MSU president Kevin M. Guskiewicz. "His track record of building disciplined, resilient teams and his commitment to coaching with integrity make him an exceptional fit for Michigan State University. I'm confident that under his leadership, Spartan Football will thrive on and off the field."

Northwestern reached a financial settlement with Fitzgerald in August that Fitzgerald said cleared his name. Terms were not disclosed but Fitzgerald's attorneys called it a "satisfactory settlement."

Fitzgerald sued Northwestern for $130 million in October 2023 claiming his employment was "unlawfully terminated" and that Northwestern damaged his reputation.

"For the past two years, I have engaged in a process of extensive fact and expert discovery, which showed what I have known and said all along -- that I had no knowledge of hazing ever occurring in the Northwestern football program and that I never directed or encouraged hazing in any way," Fitzgerald said in a statement in August.

Fitzgerald's son, Ryan, is a walk-on quarterback at Iowa.

Smith took over the program in November 2023 after Mel Tucker's firing two months prior amid sexual harassment allegations following several NCAA violations.

Michigan State began the 2025 season 3-0 but lost to then-1-4 UCLA, then-3-6 Penn State and rival Michigan in the midst of eight consecutive defeats.

The NCAA vacated all five of Michigan State's wins from his debut 2024 season, as well as nine more wins from the 2022 and 2023 campaigns, due to recruiting violations during the Tucker era.

When Smith was named Michigan State coach in 2023, he was coming off a 25-13 run over three seasons with Oregon State, where he went 34-35 overall.

--Field Level Media