Redemption has been the key word on Pat Fitzgerald's mind ever since he parted ways with Northwestern a few years ago amid a hazing scandal that he claims he's since been vindicated from.
Ever since he packed up his car and left Evanston with no real plan in mind, Fitzgerald knew that he was going to get another shot as long as he remained vigilent and fought against the accusations made against him. After reaching a settlement with Northwestern, he feels as if he's been vindicated and now he's ready to get back to business.
Fitzgerald will never take a head coaching job for granted again. He probably felt comfortable and invicible at Northwestern, and so did everyone else. No one expected him to ever leave unless it was for an NFL job -- he's been the subject of several NFL vacancy rumors.
There have been some experts, rival fans, and even a small faction of Michigan State fans who knocked the hire of Fitzgerald because he'd been out of the sport for years.
After hearing all of his assistants and players talk about how motivated he is and how fun it is to be around compared to before, it's clear that he's changing the culture and he's hungrier than ever to achieve success. He's not going to let this job slip away.
Then Fitzgerald sat down and spoke to USA Today's Matt Hayes and an incredible op-ed was written about the new head coach and his vision for the program.
One quote from Fitzgerald's chief of staff, Jacob Schmidt, really stood out to me, though, and proved that Michigan State may have just hired the steal of a lifetime.
"Fitz wasn’t ever supposed to leave Northwestern. But now that he has, let’s freaking go. Because there’s not a more motivated man, a more motivated coach, in the country."Jacob Schmidt, MSU's chief of staff
That level of motivation usually yields elite results.
Not many know Pat Fitzgerald like Jacob Schmidt
Schmidt has been with Fitzgerald through his early Northwestern coaching days as a player and then he was hired as the director of player development and then he became the director of football operations in Fitzgerald's final two seasons. Not many people know the new Michigan State head coach better than Schmidt.
So if he's going to say that he's pumped that Fitzgerald is getting a fresh start and that there's not a more motivated man in the country, you have to take his word.
Michigan State got the most motivated coach in the country to lead the program. For some reason, I'm starting to buy all of these quotes from players and coaches that are raving about the energy in the program and the direction it's headed.