Michigan State fans are having a whirlwind of a day on social media from begging for some news regarding Jonathan Smith’s future to finding out that he had been fired to hearing about the immediate hiring of former Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald.
In less than 24 hours, Michigan State won a football game, fired its head coach, and hired a new head coach. This has all happened faster than anyone had anticipated.
Fitzgerald is going to be the guy, and he’ll bring back that hard-nosed Mark Dantonio mentality to East Lansing. Some feel that he could have Dantonio-like success, and others are unsure that he’s ready to adjust to the new era of NIL and the transfer portal. It’s been a mixed bag of reviews, but overall, people are on board.
While there are some doubters still out there, Fitzgerald has a chance to win everyone over before he even coaches a game.
How can he do that? By hiring the right guy as his defensive coordinator.
Defense has always meant a lot in East Lansing, and the Dantonio era was so successful because he had some of the best defenses in the country for over a decade. He instilled a tough “Spartan Dawg” mentality that other coaches have attempted to replicate, but it just hasn’t worked.
However, there’s a Dantonio-era defensive star that could become Fitzgerald’s next defensive coordinator — in a perfect world.
Currently, Bullough is the linebackers coach at Notre Dame, and he’s been rising quickly in the coaching ranks down in South Bend. There have been talks of him becoming a defensive coordinator sooner rather than later, and why not back where he got his start? Bullough is a Michigan State legend, helping lead some of the best defenses in program history and getting the Spartans back to the Rose Bowl after a 20-plus-year absence. He would be the perfect candidate.
Take a look at all the fans who aren’t buying in to the Fitzgerald hire and watch them change their minds if Fitzgerald brings Bullough aboard.
It almost makes too much sense. Bring Max home.