Pat Fitzgerald is officially back in college football. One month after saying he was ready to coach again now that his legal battle with Northwestern had been resolved, Fitzgerald has reportedly landed the job at Michigan State.
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Multiple outlets say the former Wildcats coach will take over the Spartans program following Sunday's dismissal of Jonathan Smith.
Michigan State moved on from Smith after only two seasons. He went 9-15 overall and 4-14 in Big Ten play after arriving from Oregon State, and the program never gained traction during his brief tenure. The Spartans have not appeared in a bowl game since 2021.
Fitzgerald, 50, brings a long résumé and plenty of Big Ten familiarity. He went 110-101 over 17 seasons at Northwestern and became one of the most recognizable figures in school history.
His tenure ended abruptly in July 2023 when hazing allegations surfaced inside the program.
Fitzgerald denied having knowledge of the conduct, and Northwestern ultimately acknowledged in a settlement that while "inappropriate conduct in the football program did occur," the evidence "did not establish that any player reported hazing to Coach Fitzgerald or that Coach Fitzgerald condoned or directed any hazing."
The settlement cleared the way for Fitzgerald to pursue new opportunities. Michigan State moved fast, and Fitzgerald now steps into a rebuild for a program searching for stability and relevance in a changing Big Ten landscape.
The Spartans will introduce Fitzgerald formally in the coming days as he begins his first coaching job since the hazing scandal pushed him out of Evanston.
