Michigan’s latest recruiting heater is putting extra pressure on Pat Fitzgerald

Good coaches know that you can’t concern yourself with what other programs are doing. That doesn’t mean, however, that opposing programs can’t put some extra pressure on a coach. Heck, just look at Tom Izzo. He has been trying to win No. 2 for 26 years and Dusty May came in and won his first title in year two. The pressure is on Tom to respond.

The same could be said for Pat Fitzgerald.

While he hasn’t coached a single game yet and it’s unfair to say that even more pressure is being lumped onto his shoulders, Fitzgerald has to be feeling it from his new rival.

Again, concerning himself with another program doesn’t seem like the move, but being conscious of what’s going on down the road can’t hurt. And Michigan is on one of the biggest recruiting tears in recent memory under Kyle Whittingham, clearly putting the disaster that was Sherrone Moore in the rearview mirror.

Michigan currently has the No. 15 recruiting class in the country and it’s already working on adding a five-star who was supposed to visit LSU and several four-stars, including one that was just committed to the reigning national champs who just scheduled a visit.

On top of that, the Wolverines have two of the top four in-state recruits committed in Jakari Lipsey and Recarder Kitchen. The class is fairly modest so far, but it looks like Whittingham is making an impression already and if his recruiting is any indication of what we should expect from his teams, the Spartans may be in danger of falling further behind in the rivalry.

I’m not sitting here saying that Fitzgerald needs to recruit only four and five-stars to keep up with Michigan, but he needs to win some of these critical in-state battles over the next month.

The pressure is building on the recruiting trail.

Pat Fitzgerald needs to win key in-state battles

Seeing the same success that Mark Dantonio did isn’t something that anyone is expecting, but that’s obviously the goal. To do that, Fitzgerald is going to need to win some big-time in-state and Midwest recruiting battles, and official visit season will decide several of them.

It doesn’t look like the Spartans are going to be in the running for five-star Harper Woods, Mich., receiver Dakota Guerrant, but Gideon Gash, Myles Smith, and Anthony Cartwright will all be on campus over the next month and all are looking at both Michigan and Michigan State. Losing all three of those recruiting battles would be devastating.

Fitzgerald knows this.

Michigan State has two of the top 11 in-state recruits committed in 2027 but he needs to have more like 4-5 before it’s all said and done if he wants to keep up in the rivalry.

Winning these massive in-state battles will keep Michigan State from fading and it could set off a domino effect for future classes. The pressure is mounting, but I see Fitzgerald responding with some big-time commitments after official visits wrap up.

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