Mark Dell thinks Michigan State football is still missing one major ingredient in Pat Fitzgerald’s rebuild: the kind of all-in culture that made the Mark Dantonio years so hard to match.
Fitzgerald has been working to make the Spartans feel like a family again, leaning on Michigan State traditions while trying to build a few new ones of his own. That push has included bringing former players and coaches back around the program, and on the surface it’s the right idea. But Dell, one of the key figures in the Dantonio-era turnaround, says the effort needs to go further.
Dell made his point by reposting a video of Tom Izzo and the basketball team welcoming former players during Grind Week, then tying it directly to the football program.
“This what our football program missing. Izzo get it, tradition shapes your future https://t.co/TbVehn6s9d”
- Mark Dell (@_MarkDell) September 11, 2026
He followed that up with another message that appeared to take aim at past staffs for leaning too heavily on the NFL side of the alumni base while overlooking the broader group that helped lift the program.
“You can’t just bring back the players that made it to the league and keep using that for recruiting. You gotta reach back and bring all the alum back bc it took everybody to turn it around in 2007”
- Mark Dell (@_MarkDell) September 11, 2026
That message lines up with a complaint plenty of Michigan State fans have had for years: if the program is going to sell family, it has to look like family. One annual offseason gathering with former players isn’t enough. Dell’s point is that the Spartans need to welcome back the full range of alumni, not just the recognizable names who reached the league.
There’s already been some movement in that direction. Greg Jones, Javon Ringer, and Jehuu Caulcrick have been around the program.
But Dell’s argument is that Fitzgerald can’t stop there. If the goal is to rebuild the culture that once defined Michigan State, then the early Dantonio-era players need to be part of it too.
That matters now more than ever. In a college football world ruled by money, Michigan State still needs a competitive NIL package, but Dell’s message is that relationships can still separate a program. A true family feel can matter to recruits, especially the ones who still value connection and belonging.
Fitzgerald is clearly trying to build something that feels bigger than just football. Dell’s reminder is simple: if Michigan State wants to reclaim that edge, it needs to bring everybody back into the room.
In Other News...
Michigan State Just Made An Early Big Ten Statement At USC
Michigan State wasted little time making its presence felt in Big Ten play at USC, turning in a one-sided road performance that looked every bit like a team intent on setting an early tone. Kennedy Bell led the charge with two goals, while Kayla Briggs added a goal and two assists as the Spartans kept the pressure on from start to finish and never let the Trojans settle in.
The result gave Michigan State its fourth shutout of the season and another strong sign that the defense is backing up the attack. Bella Schopp needed only two saves to secure her second clean sheet of the year, and with the Spartans already looking sharp on both ends, the bigger question now is how far this early Big Ten statement can carry them as the schedule tightens. [Read more 🡒]
Dukes Path To A Top Seed Suddenly Looks Much Tougher
Dukes newly released 2026-27 mens basketball schedule makes one thing clear for anyone around the sport: the Blue Devils are not getting a soft road to March. The slate is loaded from top to bottom, with Michigan State, Illinois, UConn, Florida, Georgia, Texas Tech, Gonzaga, North Carolina, Louisville, NC State and Virginia all on the docket, plus a series of neutral-site showcases that should keep the spotlight on Jon Scheyers team all season.
For Michigan State, the trip into that mix adds another high-end measuring stick to a schedule already built around marquee competition. The timing matters, too, because Dukes November gauntlet and the late-season closing stretch both feature multiple opponents with tournament credentials, the kind of run that can shape seeding, resume strength and the margin for error long before Selection Sunday arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Fans Get A Chance To Honor A Program-Building Coach
Walt Drenth is getting his due at Michigan State, where the former Director of Cross Country and Track & Field will join the schools Athletics Hall of Fame class of 2026. Drenth built a lasting footprint in East Lansing through a coaching career that included multiple Big Ten titles and the 2014 NCAA womens cross country national championship, accomplishments that helped shape one of the programs strongest modern stretches.
The Hall of Fame induction ceremony is set for Sept. 11, 2026, with a special recognition planned during the Michigan State-Eastern Michigan football game the following day. Hell be honored alongside six other athletes, giving Spartans fans another chance to salute one of the people who helped raise the standard across the department, even if the spotlight usually falls elsewhere on fall Saturdays. [Read more 🡒]