Pat Fitzgerald is expected to land at Michigan State

Last month, former Northwestern coach (and periodic NFL candidate) Pat Fitzgerald said he wanted to get back into coaching, now that the litigation regarding his departure from his prior job had been resolved. He quickly found a new home.

Via multiple reports, Fitzgerald will become the new coach at Michigan State.

The Spartans fired Jonathan Smith on Sunday, after only two years on the job. Smith, who was hired away from Oregon State, went 9-15 overall and 4-14 in the Big 10 Conference.

Fitzgerald had a record of 110-101 in seventeen seasons at Northwestern. He was fired in July 2023, after allegations of hazing emerged within the program.

As part of the settlement with Fitzgerald, Northwestern said that “inappropriate conduct in the football program did occur." The school acknowledged that the “evidence uncovered during extensive discovery did not establish that any player reported hazing to Coach Fitzgerald or that Coach Fitzgerald condoned or directed any hazing."

Michigan State has not played in a bowl game since the 2021 season.