It’s still too early to make a final call on Pat Fitzgerald’s run at Michigan State, but the first seven games have already shown what this thing might become.
The Spartans are 2-5, and Year 1 has mostly looked like a clean slate built on a rough hand. Fitzgerald arrived after being away from college coaching for three seasons, which meant he couldn’t drag a big bundle of players or staffers with him.
That was always going to make this a slower climb. Still, these opening games have offered a real glimpse of the kind of program he wants to put in place, and there’s enough there to point in both directions.
One place to start is money, because it drives almost everything in the modern game. The Athletic estimated in September that Michigan State was spending between $21-25 million on its football roster this season.
That’s not last in the Big Ten, but it is in the lower half. New athletic director Dan Bartholomae says that won’t stay that way.
In an Oct. 7 letter, he wrote that "football must be resourced to be competitive immediately, and they will be."
That still leaves a lot of work ahead. The going rate for an average Big Ten roster keeps climbing, and MSU is going to have to pay up if it wants players who can change games. With 2026 looking like the program’s fifth straight losing season, the Spartans are still staring at a steep roster rebuild.
On the field, though, Fitzgerald’s idea of "bedrock" has shown up in some real ways. He has talked about building around buy-in, discipline and clean football, and at least one part of that has held up: Michigan State has the seventh-fewest penalty yards per game in the country at 36.3.
The last two close losses have not been about a team melting down emotionally. They’ve been about missed execution.
According to PFF, MSU’s defense missed 31 tackles in those games, and against Northwestern the Spartans and Alessio Milivojevic left four potential deep-shot touchdowns on the table. The message seems clear enough: the commitment is there, but the roster may need more juice.
That makes the roster turnover ahead even more interesting. Fitzgerald said after the loss to Notre Dame that Michigan State would be a "completely different team" next season.
That can be read as a statement about the long-term build, but it’s also just true in a very literal sense. Twelve starters on a fully healthy team will be out of eligibility after this season, or 13 if Cam Edwards is included.
In all, 23 players on this year’s roster are definitely out of eligibility.
That kind of change might not be a bad thing when you’re talking about the worst MSU team in a generation. Fitzgerald still has to find upgrades in the portal, but at least the upcoming reset gives him a lot of spots to attack.
The results, of course, still matter. Michigan State is 2-5, and even if the Spartans are only a couple plays from 4-3, the record is the record.
College football is a harsh business in that way, and MSU is still waiting for a win that feels meaningful. Toledo and EMU won’t do it.
The losses to Illinois and Northwestern were the real missed chances, especially the 17-point comeback against the Illini and the matchup with Northwestern, Fitzgerald’s former team. There is still time for a statement win, but the calendar is moving fast.
The recruiting picture has been part of the concern too. Fitzgerald’s first full class at Michigan State is not shaping up to be the kind that gets people buzzing. The Spartans’ 2027 class is currently ranked 63rd nationally by 247Sports and second-to-last in the Big Ten.
Michigan State has only 15 commitments, which is the third-fewest in the conference, and its average commit rating of 86.93 ranks 14th in the league. Offensive tackle Caleb Johnson and defensive lineman Ohimai Ozolua are the only two incoming four-star prospects.
Even the two narrow losses that slipped away brought some questions back to the coaching. Against Illinois, the game turned on one play, and MSU called a trick play that looked predictable and had little chance once it was snapped.
Against Northwestern, the Spartans were one first down away from bleeding out the final seconds and setting up a walk-off field goal, but Fitzgerald’s team didn’t try to throw for the sticks. It fit the aggression he’s generally shown in 2026, but in that moment Michigan State played it safe, and that may have cost it.
In Other News...
Michigan State Heads To UCLA With A Sudden QB Problem
Michigan State heads into its trip to UCLA with an unexpected twist at the most important position on the field, as starting quarterback Alessio Milivojevic is listed as questionable because of an unspecified injury. The Spartans were already navigating a tricky road spot, and now the uncertainty at quarterback adds another layer to a game that had enough moving parts on its own.
Cam Fancher is also out, which leaves Michigan State in a bind if Milivojevic cannot go. That could push true freshman Kayd Coffman or second-year quarterback Leo Hannan into the spotlight, and Coffman in particular brings intrigue after arriving as a highly rated member of the 2026 class despite limited game experience. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Heads To UCLA With A Huge Offensive Concern
Michigan State heads into its trip to UCLA dealing with a familiar kind of midseason uncertainty, and this one starts on offense. Quarterback Alessio Milivojevic and running back Jaziun Patterson are both listed as questionable, leaving the Spartans to sort through key decisions at the game's most important position and in the backfield before taking the field.
The injury report does not stop there. Linebacker Jordan Hall and cornerbacks Tre Bell, Tyran Chappell and Charles Brantley are among the other Spartans who are either out or questionable, adding to the challenge of matching up on the road. UCLA has its own issues, including the season-ending loss of starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava, but Michigan State still has to figure out how much of its offensive plan it can count on before kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Heads To UCLA With Its Offense Suddenly In Doubt
Michigan State heads west for a matchup with UCLA carrying more uncertainty than it expected, and the biggest question sits right at the heart of the offense. Starting quarterback Alessio Milivojevic and running back Jaziun Patterson are both listed as questionable, leaving the Spartans to navigate the kind of pregame uncertainty that can change how a staff plans the entire trip.
The injury report also leaves room for concern elsewhere, with left tackle Ben Murawski and linebacker Brady Pretzlaff among the players listed as questionable, while several others on both sides of the ball have already been ruled out. Michigan State is set to keep releasing updated injury reports leading up to the game, so the picture could still shift before kickoff, but for now the Spartans are walking into this one with a lot still unsettled. [Read more 🡒]