Pat Fitzgerald Takes Over at Michigan State: Can He Wake the Sleeping Giant?
Michigan State’s hire of Pat Fitzgerald has stirred up a mix of reactions across the college football world - and that’s putting it lightly. On one hand, you’ve got folks pointing to his gritty success at Northwestern, a program that’s long operated with fewer resources and tougher academic standards. On the other, critics can’t forget how things ended in Evanston, where the Wildcats struggled mightily down the stretch.
But here’s the truth: nobody knows how this is going to play out.
Fitzgerald, for his part, isn’t shying away from the challenge. He’s already talking about a turnaround, telling his new team that they shouldn’t be surprised when 2026 brings a change in fortune. Confidence isn’t lacking in East Lansing - and neither is belief in the program’s potential.
Now, Fitzgerald isn’t pretending this is going to be an overnight fix. He knows better than most that going from a bowl-less season to the College Football Playoff in one year isn’t just rare - it’s practically unheard of.
Still, he sees something in Michigan State, calling it “a sleeping giant.” And if he’s going to get this thing back on track, it’ll be fueled by a renewed hunger and a clear understanding of just how precious the opportunity to coach college football really is.
He’s got backing - from donors, from the athletic department, and from a fan base desperate to see the Spartans matter again. The resources are there.
The support is there. Now it’s about results.
But let’s be real: Vegas isn’t exactly buying in just yet.
Vegas Isn’t Feeling the Spartans (Yet)
DraftKings opened Michigan State’s national title odds at +60000. That’s sixty-thousand-to-one.
Translation? Vegas sees the Spartans as a long shot among long shots - and that’s not exactly shocking.
Michigan State hasn’t reached a bowl game since 2021, and they’ve cycled through two head coaches since then. The program’s been searching for stability and identity, and now Fitzgerald is tasked with delivering both.
He’s inheriting a roster with more questions than answers. The projected starting quarterback has only a handful of starts under his belt.
The backfield is getting a reset. The receiving corps is almost entirely new.
And on defense? Let’s just say it’s been a while since the Spartans looked like the hard-nosed, playmaking unit that once defined the program.
There’s hope - no doubt about that. But hope doesn’t move betting lines, and it doesn’t win football games either.
The Road Ahead
For Fitzgerald, the path forward is clear: prove it. The national hype isn’t there, and the expectations - at least from the outside - are low. But that might be the perfect setup for a coach who’s built his career on overachieving.
This isn’t about playoff talk or chasing headlines. Right now, it’s about getting Michigan State back to respectability. A bowl game would be a great start - a sign that things are moving in the right direction.
Fitzgerald believes he can do it. The program believes he can do it. Now it’s time to see if belief turns into results.
Because if he can wake the sleeping giant in East Lansing, the Big Ten better be ready.