The Big Ten has seen some coaching changes this offseason, and Michigan State football fans have to feel good about where the Spartans sit heading into the 2026 campaign.
Penn State, Michigan, UCLA, and Michigan State all experienced the coaching carousel this fall and into the winter, and all have officially made new hires. Penn State hired Matt Campbell away from Iowa State, UCLA poached Bob Chesney from James Madison, Michigan landed recently-departed Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham, and Michigan State hired Pat Fitzgerald.
There’s going to be a lot of debate this offseason about who won the coaching carousel in the Big Ten, and I’ve already seen some grades and rankings in which I’d have to vehemently disagree.
I’ve seen Fitzgerald given a multitude of different grades, and ESPN’s Bill Connelly ranked the hire of the former Northwestern coach 30th out of 30 hires.
Fitzgerald has been disrespected by several outlets, but the overwhelming consensus is that Michigan State hit a home run — or at least a double — with this hire.
And, truthfully, I believe that Michigan State made the best hire in the Big Ten this carousel.
Pat Fitzgerald checks all the boxes
While I will say that Whittingham is a really good coach and probably one of the more underrated guys in the sport and both Campbell and Chesney are going to have plenty of hype heading into 2026, Fitzgerald was the best hire in terms of fit and potential.
Fitzgerald fits that Michigan State personality of toughness and grit. The Spartans have always been known for working hard and being a hard-nosed football program. Mark Dantonio really brought that out of his teams, and many believe former All-American linebacker Pat Fitzgerald will have the same effect. I am one of those many
If you’re looking for a coach to check all the boxes, I think Fitzgerald is that guy.
Fitz can recruit, he is an excellent Xs and Os coach, he recruited well at Northwestern which will translate, he’s familiar with the recruiting landscape in the Midwest, he’s won big with less resources, and he’s already hiring really good assistants.
Michigan State won this coaching carousel with a slight edge over Michigan, then UCLA, and then Penn State. All four hires, however, are going to turn out to be good for their respective programs.