Pat Fitzgerald’s first fall camp at Michigan State is already drawing attention for a reason Spartans fans will like: the injury situation sounds far better than what they’ve grown used to.
Senior linebacker and team captain Jordan Hall said this has been the healthiest camp he’s experienced, and he made clear that his own body feels right heading into Week 1. Asked about the absence of traditional scrimmages in camp, Hall didn’t frame it as a drawback at all. Instead, he pointed to the way Fitzgerald has handled things and said the approach has kept players fresher.
Hall said, “My body feels great. This has probably been the best camp that I’ve been apart of in terms of injuries. I feel healthy and ready to go going into week one..”
That matters even more because Hall has lived through three different coaching staffs. He was there under Mark Dantonio, Mel Tucker, Jonathan Smith, and now Fitzgerald, which gives him a real baseline for comparison. And his view is pretty simple: this camp has been the best one yet when it comes to injuries.
That’s encouraging on its own, but it also fits with the way Fitzgerald appears to be handling a roster that still doesn’t have much room for error. Michigan State’s depth isn’t where it needs to be, so keeping players healthy in camp isn’t just smart - it’s necessary. A couple of injuries can change the whole feel of a season when the roster isn’t built to absorb them.
Hall’s comments also stand out because Michigan State has dealt with injury problems for years, including what the source describes as a brutal stretch late in the 2025 season. The difference now is that the Spartans seem to be taking a more careful, measured approach, and Hall’s perspective suggests that approach is paying off so far.
There’s no guarantee that the health picture stays this clean once the season starts. Injuries happen. But if Michigan State can carry even some of this camp’s good fortune into the fall, that alone would be a major shift.
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Instead, Cooper chose to move on, telling Izzo that his former teammates deserved the chance to start. He signed a two-way contract with the Memphis Grizzlies before Summer League began, closing the door on a return and opening the next chapter of his career while leaving Michigan State to sort out its frontcourt plans without one of its most trusted pieces. [Read more 🡒]