Monday update> The deal is now in place. Pat Fitzgerald is now the head coach of the Spartans.
Michigan State is set to hire Pat Fitzgerald as its next head coach, the Detroit Free Press reported Sunday. Sources tell FootballScoop that the deal is not completed as of this writing but is expected to get done.
The move marks Fitzgerald's return to coaching following his firing by Northwestern, his alma mater and where he was the head coach for 17 seasons, in the summer of 2023 amid a hazing scandal within the football program. Fitzgerald and Northwestern reached a settlement in August in which Fitzgerald admitted no wrongdoing and Fitzgerald's agent said they were "very, very" satisfied with the terms of the settlement. Fitzgerald sought $130 million in his wrongful termination suit against his alma mater.
Fitzgerald, 50, went 110-101 in his 17 seasons at Northwestern. That included two Big Ten West championships, three 10-win seasons, and five AP Top 25 finishes. Northwestern was not immune to down seasons, and the Wildcats went 4-20 over his final two seasons.
He inherits a Michigan State season that concluded a 1-8 mark in Big Ten play on Saturday night. The Spartans dismissed Jonathan Smith after two unsuccessful seasons on Sunday, and in so doing admitted the school needed to increase its funding to the football program.
"While we will have a new coach next season, we must also do more as a department to support the program," AD J Batt said Sunday. "President Guskiewicz and I are fully aligned to take the necessary steps to position our program to compete at the highest level. We are committed to providing an increased level of donor investment, department resources and enhanced infrastructure to effectively and efficiently deploy those resources. Michigan State has an incredibly passionate and loyal fan base, and we will build a program all Spartans can be proud of."