Since coming back to coaching, Pat Fitzgerald has earned praise from pretty much everyone he’s come into contact with, including some of his own players.
The first-year Michigan State coach has had to quickly assemble a roster capable of holding its own in Big Ten play, and he’s done that with some key additions in the transfer portal. Arguably his most important transfer, Kenny Soares Jr., didn’t take a ton of convincing to get him to Michigan State.
Per the talented edge rusher from NC State by way of Northwestern, Soares said that he came to Michigan State because Fitzgerald is the same coach that he’s always been.
That authenticity led to Fitzgerald landing his most important transfer.
Kenny Soares Jr. has high praise for @MSU_Football coach Pat Fitzgerald 👏 pic.twitter.com/elvQO4QXLO
— Michigan State on BTN (@MichiganStOnBTN) August 13, 2026
Fitzgerald being the same coach now that he was at Northwestern during Soares’ first collegiate season with the Wildcats is a good sign because it shows that he’s not being fake for the cameras. He’s not putting on an act when he’s all about toughness and culture. That’s who he really is, and that’s why players seem to really buy into what he’s selling.
Soares is proving to be the most important transfer for the Spartans, maybe outside of Cam Edwards, but it’s tough to call a running back the No. 1 newcomer from the portal (though he’s that good).
The NC State transfer has been voted “The Spartan” by his teammates and awarded the first No. 1 jersey of the Fitzgerald era at Michigan State. That’s not possible if Fitzgerald isn’t Fitzgerald.
Michigan State got a dang good coach — and a real one.
Pat Fitzgerald is actually taking the time to connect to his players
Does this era of Michigan State football already feel different? That’s probably because Fitzgerald has taken the time to actually connect with his players. Jonathan Smith never seemed to do that.
Smith seems to be catching a lot of strays these days, but that shows just how different these two coaches are. Michigan State fans wanted a coach who had some fire, was motivated by disrespect, and who actually showed emotion and connected with his players. They didn’t get that in Smith but they’ve seen that in just eight months with Fitzgerald.
The vibes are different around East Lansing these days. The vibes are high, the players are happy, and even the Big Ten Network noticed more energy at practice than in previous years.
Fitzgerald is doing what Smith didn’t do, and that’s why many believe he’s going to turn this around. Well, that and the fact that Fitzgerald seems to be embracing any and all help that Mark Dantonio is providing.
That authenticity is a breath of fresh air after the whirlwind that was the Mel Tucker era and the snoozer that was the Smith era.
And it’ll likely help him land really good players every offseason.
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