Has emerged as a target of Pat Fitzgerald michigan state football’s coaching search, sources confirmed to ESPN’s Pete Thamel on Sunday night. Both sides are working towards an agreement, which is expected to be finalized in the near future.
Fitzgerald’s anticipated arrival came two years after Michigan State fired Jonathan Smith on Sunday, and a day after the Spartans’ loss. maryland To conclude the regular season.
“The 2025 football season does not meet our shared standards for Michigan State football,” athletic director Jay Batt said in a statement. “While it is not entirely up to Jonathan Smith, it has become necessary to make a coaching change to chart a new direction for the program.”
Fitzgerald, 50, compromised Northwestern In August, two years after he sued the university over a team hazing scandal, he was fired following an investigation. Details of the agreement were not made public.
Former Northwestern football players began filing a lawsuit in 2023, accusing the team of sexual abuse and racial discrimination. Similar allegations then spread to many sports.
Fitzgerald denied wrongdoing and sued for $130 million. He alleged that the school illegally terminated his employment and damaged his reputation, among other things. His case was to be heard this month.
Fitzgerald was an All-America linebacker for the Wildcats and starred on the 1995 team that won the Big Ten and played in the Rose Bowl.
He was 110–101 in 17 seasons as Northwestern’s head coach. He led the Wildcats to Big Ten West championships in 2018 and 2020 and five bowl victories. However, in his final two seasons, Northwestern was 4–20.
Michigan State finished 4–8 this season, losing eight of its last nine games. Smith’s overall record at MSU was 9–15 and only 4–14 in the Big Ten. Under the terms of his seven-year contract, Smith is owed more than $30 million.
Heading into the Spartans’ 38-28 win over the Terrapins Saturday night at Ford Field, Smith was 34-35 in six seasons Oregon StateHis alma mater won at least eight games in consecutive seasons for the first time in more than a decade. He went 5-7 overall and 3-6 in the Big Ten during his first season last year. His seat became hot when athletic director Alan Haller, who hired him, left the school last May.
Expectations for this season were low, and the results were worse.
The Spartans then won western michigan, boston college And Youngstown State Off to an 0-8 start in Big Ten play. they lost USC, nebraska, UCLA, Indiana And michigan before blowing a late lead and losing by double digits. minnesota By three points in overtime. Their only conference win came Saturday against Maryland.
Smith benched the quarterback aidan chilesWho followed him and the redshirt freshman from Oregon State against the Golden Gophers Alessio Milivojevic A shot at starting over, perhaps with an eye toward the future now that the coach is not at Michigan State. Milivojevic threw a career-high four touchdown passes and completed 27 of 39 passes for 292 yards Saturday night.
The program has struggled since the retirement of the school’s winningest coach, Mark Dantonio, and a record-breaking 13-year run ended with consecutive 7-6 seasons and a .500 Big Ten record two years in a row.
With limited options in the winter of 2020, inexperienced athletic director Bill Beekman hired Mel Tucker after going 5–7 one season. colorado and joined the school as a graduate assistant under Nick Saban.
Tucker led the Spartans to an 11–2 record in 2021, and the school rewarded him with a $95 million, 10-year contract. School fired him Following an investigation into a sexual misconduct complaint against him at the start of the 2023 season.
Michigan State doesn’t have any scandals to recover from during its latest attempt to fix its program, but it faces a major challenge finding someone who can win consistently in the expanded and highly competitive Big Ten.
News of Michigan State’s decision to focus on Fitzgerald was first reported by the Detroit Free Press.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
