J Batt didn’t waste a second getting his guy after firing Jonathan Smith on Sunday afternoon. Just an hour after Smith was let get, news of Pat Fitzgerald to Michigan State went public.
Fitzgerald would become Michigan State’s fourth head coach in six years as the Mark Dantonio retirement seemed to have cursed the program. After Dantonio retired in 2019, Michigan State hired Mel Tucker who won 11 games in 2021 but couldn’t seem to keep the same motivation after his massive payday. Then Smith was hired shortly after Tucker’s departure. He got two seasons to prove himself, but unfortunately went 9-15 and Batt decided to move on.
On Sunday, the news of Fitzgerald’s hire was official and he signed his new deal with Michigan State on Monday afternoon after the school went and met with him, according to Pete Thamel.
He’ll reportedly be introduced on Tuesday.
Sources: Pat Fitzgerald has signed a deal to be the next coach at Michigan State. The school went and met him today. He’ll be introduced Tuesday. https://t.co/dHD4nIgc9M
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 1, 2025
This hire comes on the heels of a season-ending win over Maryland two days ago which elevated the program’s vibes incrementally. It was fairly obvious that Smith would be fired the next day even though some players were endorsing him. Fitzgerald will take over right before Early Signing Day on Wednesday which is a huge deal for the 2026 class.
In case you forgot, Dantonio left Michigan State in an uncertain spot right before signing day in 2020, deciding to retire and force recruits to make a quick decision about their future with the program. That wasn’t the best look, but Tucker came in and did some damage control.
Smith was hired well before Early Signing Day in 2023 and he did a really good job, vaulting the 2024 class into the top-40 nationally.
We’ll see if Fitzgerald’s deal will ease the minds of recruits (it’s already led to a few reaffirming their commitments), especially with signing day rapidly approaching. He’s going to have to learn the new era of NIL and the transfer portal on the fly, but it sounds like he’s done his homework.
Michigan State fans will get to witness their third intro presser in five years on Tuesday afternoon.