Pat Fitzgerald has made his first coaching staff decision as Michigan State’s head coach.
After going through the early signing period by himself, the new head coach has decided to make a move on the defensive side of the ball, in terms of coaching.
According to Pete Thamel on Saturday afternoon, the new head coach plans to retain a key defensive staff member that coached under Jonathan Smith. He’s reportedly bringing back defensive coordinator Joe Rossi who was a polarizing figure on the staff this season.
Sources: Michigan State plans to retain defensive coordinator Joe Rossi on Pat Fitzgerald’s staff. He’s a longtime Big Ten coordinator, who also has stops at Rutgers and Minnesota. pic.twitter.com/AjkfdjLclv
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 6, 2025
Joe Rossi has had an up-and-down tenure with Michigan State
Rossi was well-liked by fans because he came down from the booth to the sidelines and actually showed emotion which is something Smith never provided. He breathed new life into the defense in the final month of the season, and fans and players loved his energy. That wouldn’t be bad to have back in East Lansing next year.
However, his defenses at Michigan State weren’t the most effective. He was known as a rising star when he was Minnesota’s defensive coordinator under PJ Fleck, but some have attributed his success to coaching in the Big Ten West for a portion of his career.
Still, he was touted as one of the best minds that Fleck had ever worked with — his words, not mine. He also seems to have a good grasp on what needs to happen to succeed defensively, and Fitzgerald is a defensive guy, too. He wouldn’t retain Rossi if he didn’t have faith in him.
On top of that, there’s a good chance that Rossi didn’t see a ton of success defensively because of the personnel on the roster. He wasn’t provided with enough tools to succeed, and that was one of the main reasons his defenses fell flat over the past two seasons. There were obviously flashes, but he’s never really had a consistent defense in East Lansing.
Michigan State fans will probably be thrilled to see him back in East Lansing, and you know the defense is going to be fired up with Fitzgerald and Rossi on the sidelines every Saturday.
Now it’s time for Fitzgerald to give fans what they really want: Courtney Hawkins.