The word “disaster” doesn’t even begin to describe the 2025 Michigan State football season, but it’s a good start. It’s gotten so bad that fans are even floating the name ‘Pat Fitzgerald’ around.
Fitzgerald, the former Northwestern head coach, was fired amid controversy. Former players alleged that hazing was going on behind the scenes and that Fitzgerald supposedly knew about it and did nothing to stop it. That forced the university to suspend him in 2023, and then fire him shortly after, right before the season.
The long-time Northwestern coach had a solid run with the Wildcats, going 110-101 there (not easy to do) with three 10-win seasons. That kind of success just doesn’t happen there.
Since his firing, all has been quiet on his front, but he’s been in the headlines lately because he has been rumored to be looking for another coach in opportunity.
Some Michigan State fans believe that it should be in East Lansing as the replacement for Jonathan Smith. While I’m not in that camp, Fitzgerald appeared on ESPN and revealed what he’d like his next job to be like. And his description sounded a lot like Michigan State.
Clipped by Justin Spiro, Fitzgerald said that he wants to go to a school that has a “great basketball coach” and a great athletic department. That sounds like Michigan State to me.
👀 https://t.co/2b8NfITUiP pic.twitter.com/h2BMzZ3MnR
— Justin Spiro (@DarkoStateNews) November 6, 2025
I have no doubt that Tom Izzo and Fitzgerald would be a match made in heaven given their personalities. Both are hard-nosed coaches who kind of preach an old-school game, but it remains to be seen if Fitzgerald is ready to adapt to the NIL and transfer portal era — he struggled in his final two seasons at Northwestern, going 4-20.
Also, do the Spartans really want another coach with controversy in his background? Probably not, but Fitzgerald knows how to win in this conference, even if he might be a Big Ten West merchant.