ESPN's Pete Thamel reveals Pat Fitzgerald is eager to return to coaching after settling lawsuit against Northwestern

Northwestern settled a lawsuit with former coach Pat Fitzgerald, ESPN reported on Thursday afternoon. And with that, questions about Fitzgerald’s potential future in coaching resurfaced.

Could the former Wildcats coach be on the sidelines again in 2026? It’s a definite possibility, if not a probability, according to ESPN college football insider Pete Thamel.

“Pat Fitzgerald was very blunt about his intentions,” Thamel said on College Football Live. “He wants to get back into coaching. His agent, Bryan Harlan of Excel Sports, told me today that Fitzgerald is eager to get back to the sidelines.”

Fitzgerald had previously sued the school for $130 million for wrongful termination. Northwestern fired him in July 2023 after allegations of hazing in the program surfaced.

The coach noted in a statement that he he had “never directed or encouraged hazing” in any way, nor did he have knowledge of hazing. He did, however, acknowledge that hazing occurred.

Since his firing, though, Pat Fitzgerald has maintained a much lower profile. The former Big Ten head man coached locally.

“He spent the last two years as a volunteer high school coach for his son’s high school outside of Chicago,” Thamel said. “And the industry outlook on this is that Pat Fitzgerald will be a prime candidate for openings this fall.”

There’s an additional wrinkle that Thamel noted. Pat Fitzgerald could find himself looking at a job offer sooner than many anticipate.

“Remember, the cycle moves faster now with the portal,” Thamel said. “We’ve seen the trend of schools moving on coaches earlier in the cycle so they can get in and build their roster in this portal era. Pat Fitzgerald this summer traveled around and met with different search firms, I think in anticipation of this lawsuit getting settled.

“So he’s already laid some groundwork, and there’s industry interest in Pat Fitzgerald. He certainly brings a gravitas in the industry from his 17 years on the sideline and all the success he’s had.”