Michigan State makes another head coaching change, months after Pat Fitzgerald hire

It has been a busy offseason for the Michigan State athletic department as far as fall sports are concerned, beginning with the decision to part ways with former head football coach Jonathan Smith after just two seasons and bring in longtime Northwestern Wildcats head coach Pat Fitzgerald to take his place.

Now the Spartans have completed another head coaching search by hiring Tamara Durante to take the reins of the field hockey program as the replacement for longtime head coach Helen Knull.

Knull, who amassed a 109-170 record (23-91 in the Big Ten) during her program-record 15 years in East Lansing, announced her decision to step down as Michigan State’s head coach in mid-January.

"Tamara Durante is ready for the opportunity to lead Michigan State field hockey," said Michigan State Vice President and Director of Athletics J Batt in a Michigan State University release. "She's a widely respected coach across the country with experience as a national coach for USA Field Hockey and her service on the NFHCA Board of Directors.”

Durante has been on the Michigan State staff since 2015, when she was hired as an assistant coach under Knull. She was promoted to associate head coach ahead of the 2018 season and had served in that role through the 2025 campaign, prior to her latest promotion.

“Beyond her 11 seasons of experience on the Spartan sideline, she has a vision to move Michigan State field hockey forward,” Batt continued. “We look forward to watching her develop the young women in the program both on and off the field."

Tamara Durante to replace Helen Knull at Michigan State

Durante, who has also coached within the USA Field Hockey system since 2002, is set to take over a team that placed last in the nine-team Big Ten conference in each of the past two – and five of the past eight – years, and without a single finish of higher than eighth place during that stretch.

"It is an honor to be named the head field hockey coach at Michigan State," the Lachine, Quebec native stated in a release. "Having served as associate head coach, I know firsthand how special this community is and what it means to be a Spartan.”

Michigan State’s most recent Big Ten regular season championship came in 2009, and their most recent Big Ten Tournament championship came in 2013, two things Durante is looking to change sooner rather than later.

“I want to thank Director of Athletics J Batt and Executive Senior Associate AD Julee Burgess for this opportunity to lead our program forward,” Durante continued. “We are going to build a culture of grit and integrity that honors the Spartans who came before us as we relentlessly chase excellence in the Big Ten. Go Green!"

Spartans aiming to get back to winning ways in the Big Ten

Michigan State most recently qualified for the postseason in 2020 (played in spring 2021 due to COVID-19-related restrictions), when they made it into the Big Ten Tournament, although they have not placed inside the top seven in the conference standings since 2017. Only the top seven teams qualify for the conference tournament under the current format.

The Spartans have not made an appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2013, another drought they’ll be hoping to end under Durante’s leadership.

Despite their struggles in recent years, Michigan State was able to pull off a massive upset at home against the Ohio State Buckeyes this past season. Ohio State, sitting 3-1 in the Big Ten and ranked No. 12 in the country at the time, took a 2-0 lead in the second quarter, but the Spartans battled back to secure an improbable 4-3 victory.

MSU not the only offseason Big Ten coaching change for 2026

Michigan State is one of two Big Ten schools to make a field hockey head coaching change this offseason, and ironically, the other school is one that also made an offseason football head coaching change.

Penn State, which joined Michigan State in missing the Big Ten Tournament in both 2024 and 2025, opted not to renew the contract of Lisa Bervinchak Love.

Bervinchak Love, who had served for 29 years on Char Morett-Curtiss’ staff before Morett-Curtiss retired following the Nittany Lions’ 2022 run to the Big Ten regular season championship and subsequent run to the national semifinals, spent three seasons as Penn State’s head coach and was replaced by former Saint Joseph’s head coach Hannah Prince.

Penn State defeated Michigan State in State College by a score of 2-0 in September 2025, marking the Nittany Lions' 18th consecutive victory over the Spartans dating back to 2010.

A wild Big Ten coaching carousel

On the football side, Penn State named former Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell as the replacement for James Franklin. Franklin, who has since become the head coach at Virginia Tech, was fired just six games into the 2025 season, his 12th in Happy Valley.

Under interim head coach Terry Smith, the Nittany Lions defeated the Spartans in East Lansing by a score of 28-10 in November 2025, giving them three consecutive wins over Michigan State dating back to 2022.

Big Ten foes Michigan and UCLA also made football head coaching changes over the offseason, bringing in Kyle Whittingham and Bob Chesney to replace Sherrone Moore and Deshaun Foster, respectively.