Report: Michigan State to hire Pat Fitzgerald as next head coach, Jonathan Smith replacement

Michigan State is hiring former Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald as its next head football coach, per Detroit Free Press. Fitzgerald will replace Jonathan Smith, who MSU fired on Sunday after the Spartans finished this season with a 4-8 record.

Fitzgerald coached Northwestern from 2006-23. In his 17 seasons at the helm of the program, he led the Wildcats to a 110-101 mark and a 65-76 record in conference play.

Fitzgerald’s best season at Northwestern was in 2018, when the team went 8-1 in conference play and appearance in the Big Ten Championship game. In total, he logged nine winning seasons with the Wildcats.

On July 7, 2023, Fitzgerald was suspended for two weeks after a player accused him of being aware of hazing within the program. Law firm ArentFox Schiff conducted an independent investigation into the allegations.

Initially, the school said the investigation didn’t find sufficient evidence to support the player’s allegations. However, on July 10, 2023, the school fired Fitzgerald after The Daily Northwestern released a story that included detailed descriptions of hazing from the former player.

“Fitzgerald, who reportedly was owed $68 million from the private school on his contract that ran through 2031, filed a wrongful termination lawsuit in October 2023 for $130 million,” Detroit Free Press wrote. “Northwestern and Fitzgerald settled out of court on Aug. 21 this year for an undisclosed amount.

“Fitzgerald denied knowledge of the hazing, and the school issued a statement to USA TODAY saying evidence uncovered did not establish any player reported hazing to Fitzgerald or he condoned any actions and he was ‘incredibly upset and saddened’ when he learned of the alleged details.”

Jonathan Smith finished with a mere 4-15 record at Michigan State. Worse, he went 1-14 against Big Ten competition. With the help of Michigan State’s athletic administration, Pat Fitzgerald will look to lead the Spartans to new heights.

“Michigan State football has a proud history, a history that includes National Championships, Rose Bowl victories, Big Ten Championships, and a College Football Playoff appearance,” MSU athletic director J Batt said. “The standards for our program have not changed. It is our expectation that we compete for championships.

“While we will have a new coach next season, we must also do more as a department to support the program. President Guskiewicz and I are fully aligned to take the necessary steps to position our program to compete at the highest level. We are committed to providing an increased level of donor investment, department resources and enhanced infrastructure to effectively and efficiently deploy those resources.”