When Jonathan Smith was hired by Alan Haller to replace Mel Tucker, it was widely known that the head coach’s salary would be nowhere near that of the previous head coach. And when Pat Fitzgerald was hired by new AD J Batt, it was fairly obvious that he’d also have a modest salary.
Tucker was paid as one of the top head coaches in college football during that 2021 season because there was talk of interest from other major programs. It now appears that it was a massive overpay, and for that reason, you probably won’t see Michigan State shelling out a bunch of cash for a head coach unless they know it’s going to work out.
Unfortunately in the college football coaching world, nothing is a given. There have been many hires that had been dubbed “home runs” at the time, but ended up flaming out. Heck, Smith was one of them.
So when it comes time for initial contract negotiations, Michigan State is smarter with its money. However, that doesn’t mean that the Spartans won’t invest big into the program under the coach.
All the proof you need is Fitzgerald’s salary pool for his assistants and staff members.
Pat Fitzgerald's full MSU contract includes a $12,120,000 salary pool for assistant coaches and staff members.
— Stephen Brooks (@StephenM_Brooks) December 12, 2025
Jonathan Smith's initial contract included $10,750,000 for staffing.
A $1.5 million increase in the salary pool for assistants for Fitzgerald compared to Smith is only going to help the new head coach get the program off the ground quicker.
Michigan State is realizing it needs to pay to win
Two of the biggest developments in college athletics over the past few years have been the introduction of NIL as well as the transfer portal. Both require major funds to enjoy, and Michigan State has begun to realize that over the past few years.
In 2021, Michigan State got away with hitting on Kenneth Walker III in the transfer portal, but that was a once-in-a-generation talent that was basically free on the market. Since then, it’s been a barren wasteland for Michigan State in the portal because it felt like it was afraid to spend money.
That’s changing.
Batt is proving to be a heck of a fundraiser, even getting a $400 million donation from Greg Williams earlier this month which is going toward a billion dollar goal for a new NIL venture.
Increasing the coaching staff salary pool is only going to help everything. Getting coaches who can recruit and who are worthy of more money will immediately improve the program. This increase also shows that Michigan State is serious about contending and the university is willing to invest big money into the program to make sure it has success.
This increase should allow Michigan State to get a heck of an offensive coordinator.