There’s a lot of speculation surrounding Michigan State football following the season finale win over Maryland at Ford Field. Jonathan Smith is still technically the head coach, but almost everyone is expecting J Batt to move on from him as soon as Sunday.
If Smith is let go, there’s one name that seems to be circulating as a likely candidate to replace the second-year head coach. And it’s a familiar one: Pat Fitzgerald.
Big Ten fans know all about Fitzgerald. He led Northwestern for years, but the Wildcats withered away in his final two seasons at the helm and he was fired after being the subject of some locker room issues with hazing and essentially not knowing that it was happening under his watch. While he was fired by Northwestern, he was one of the most successful coaches to ever come through Evanston.
Fitzgerald won 10-plus wins multiple times at Northwestern which is almost unheard of, and he made the Wildcats one of the most annoying teams to play for over 15 years.
Now, he’s been very vocal about wanting to get back into coaching after taking the past couple of years off, and there’s legit momentum in Michigan State’s direction. The rumors are circulating all over social media about Fitzgerald being the likely replacement for Smith. Again, these are just rumors, but it’s the most prevalent option that I’ve seen in my research.
Michigan State fans aren’t the only ones who believe it’s likely, but national media members have been hinting at it for weeks now. Fitzgerald has been vocal about wanting to come back, and Michigan State just feels like the perfect fit.
Will Michigan State make the call on Smith’s future sooner rather than later? It feels like an announcement is coming, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Batt was already in contact with Fitzgerald in some capacity.
Fitzgerald may not be everyone’s first option, but he’s a proven coach who won 110 games at Northwestern which just doesn’t happen — just imagine what he can do with more resources and the backing of the athletic director and major donors. This could end up being one of the better hires this offseason if the rumors come to fruition.