The start of the 2026 Michigan State football season kind of overshadowed a major news event that happened in the weeks leading into September. Michigan State hired Dan Bartholomae from Western Michigan to be the school’s next athletic director, replacing a recently-departed J Batt.
Kevin Guskiewicz was nearly lost in the madness, too, but after initially accepting the job to be Clemson’s next school president, he decided to stay “home” in East Lansing.
He was then an instrumental figure in bringing in Bartholomae who, by all accounts, has to be considered a home run hire. He’s a great fundraiser who improved Western Michigan’s entire athletic department in a short period of time and Spartan fans are hoping he has the same effect at MSU.
Well, he’s laying out his plans already, sharing a letter with Spartan Nation on Wednesday, mapping out what he plans to do over the coming months.
And his plans for the football program should have everyone excited.
Furthermore, he emphasized a push to back Michigan State football and HC Pat Fitzgerald going forward.
— Kenny Jordan (@Kenny_Jordan5) October 7, 2026
Also of note to be in the top 1/3 of the B1G in terms of athletic resourcing, specifically in the football program. pic.twitter.com/Ws4eJoyZ7X
Bartholomae said that he would like to be more transparent in the way that Spartan Ventures and FOR SPARTA operate moving forward, but he quickly moved on to the need to back the football program.
At Western, Bartholomae oversaw one of the more impressive football program turnarounds as Western Michigan ended up winning the MAC in 2025 after years of looking for an identity post-PJ Fleck. He was able to provide enough resources for Lance Taylor to build a winning program and now the Broncos are set up to contend in the MAC for years to come.
Michigan State football needs the same attention.
Fortunately, Bartholomae agrees and said that Fitzgerald and the football program are “priorities” and they must be resourced to be competitive immediately. When you think of exactly what you would like your athletic director to say, this would have to be it. He’s saying all the right things.
Actions are more important, though.
Michigan State fans have been begging for this
Allowing the basketball program to get as many resources as it needs is still possible and shouldn’t be affected by prioritizing football, but Michigan State fans have been begging for more money to be put into the program for years now.
Mel Tucker got a taste of what it would look like he if had the funds to compete, but he promptly fumbled the bag (literally) and that era feels like decades ago.
Watching the basketball program land pretty much anyone that Tom Izzo wants is nice and it’s due, in large part, to the program that the Hall of Famer has built and the fact that he’s a legend, but he has enough resources to go toe-to-toe with Duke, Kansas, North Carolina, and Kentucky on a regular basis. The football program hasn’t had that same luxury in years — maybe ever.
It’s good to have an athletic director who realizes that football is just as important as basketball, even at a perceived “basketball school” like Michigan State.
More money into Michigan State football can only help matters.
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