Pat Fitzgerald faces a tough task in his first year at Michigan State. He must take a program that hasn’t made a bowl game since Kenneth Walker III was still on campus back to the postseason. He also needs to re-install that culture that made Michigan State so successful under Mark Dantonio.
Basically, he needs to get his guys to buy in because that’s the only way this ship is turning around.
Fortunately, he’s been doing that already.
Spartan Shadows’ Emmett Matasovsky was in attendance for practice and media availability during this week’s practices, and he got a fantastic quote from senior safety Nikai Martinez.
The veteran safety who transferred in from UCF a couple of years ago was hampered last season but decided to return under Fitzgerald for one more run. And so far, he likes what he’s been seeing from the new coaching staff, praising its intensity and energy and overall culture reset.
Nikai Martinez: "The energy aspect is different. We practice at 6:30. The coaches are screaming, yelling, jumping. Everyone is buying into it, the transfers, new guys. If you don't have the energy, you stick out like a sore thumb. If you're not with it, you have to get with it."
— Emmett Matasovsky (@E_Matasovsky57) March 24, 2026
Martinez said that the energy is clearly different from this coaching compared to Jonathan Smith’s, which isn’t exactly the most shocking revelation. Hearing from one of the team leaders that the guys are buying into the new staff and if you’re not bringing the energy, you stick out like a sore thumb.
Accountability seems to be back and that was lacking for years under the past two coaching staffs. With Fitzgerald in charge, there’s a different feeling around the program — a different buzz.
Michigan State fans must be willing to be patient with Pat Fitzgerald
We heard this during the Mel Tucker and Jonathan Smith eras, but it’s never been more true than it is today with Fitzgerald entering his first spring with Michigan State.
Fitzgerald is taking over a program that’s been mediocre since 2021, and he’s trying to turn things around in a hurry, but he also has to do things the right way. There are no cutting corners in a rebuild or everything will fall apart. Not every coach is going to be Curt Cignetti, so it’d be unfair to expect Fitzgerald to make a playoff in his first season.
Fans have to be patient. A bowl game is a good year one expectation with 8-9 wins in year two, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves and start the “but what about Indiana?” talk.