Pat Fitzgerald has been selected to lead MSU into their new era, and the bells of an in-state rivalry are beginning to ring. It feels eerily similar to another rivalry with Ohio State, where both in-state rivals and SEC opponents have made a habit of refusing to say Michigan’s name. It wouldn’t have been fair if HC Kyle Whittingham’s Wolverines didn’t greet new HC Pat Fitzgerald, and the former Wolverine coach Connor Stalions stepped in.

“I appreciate that Pat Fitz refuses to say the word ‘Michigan’ and substitutes it with ‘the team in Ann Arbor.’ It’s the little things that’ll rejuvenate the rivalry. And as I’ve said before, I like the hire. I think he’ll turn it around for The Team In Ann Arbor State University,” read the post by Stalion on X.

Some things never change for Michigan: now called the team in Ann Arbor instead of team up north. After a short stint away from the sidelines following his time at Northwestern, Pat Fitzgerald returned to coaching with a different intensity. When Jonathan Smith was sacked in 2025, Fitzgerald took over the whistle with a five-year, $30 million deal, bringing a far more fiery approach. Unlike Smith, who often viewed the in-state rivalry as “just a game,” Fitzgerald appears to have awakened the sleeping rivalry.

The dream of both fans would be to see a glimpse of the Mark Dantonio and Jim Harbaugh eras, when it was the peak of the bad blood between the two teams. Dantonio called MSU ‘little brother,’ a team always throwing fits but losing, stirring the infamous fallout leading to criminal charges for 8 MSU players for hitting and kicking with the helmets and a $100,000 fine on the team.

Fitzgerald is a perfect match for MSU. He follows the Dantonio blueprint for bringing MSU back to its lost glory. Beyond the fiery approach, Fitzgerald plans to involve former players. His sabbatical gave him time to study modern football, an edge over coaches still figuring it out.

“The old era’s dead. We don’t see dinosaurs walking around anymore because you have to evolve,” Fitzgerald said. “I just feel like I’ve got a Ph.D. I’m well rested, no bags under the eyes, ready to put the whistle around my neck and put the neck roll on, and get ready to go. Somewhere, hopefully, this will work out and go win some championships.”

Fitzgerald’s hire is a direct response to hitting rock bottom. MSU lost eight of its last nine games to finish 4-8 in 2025, and two of the team’s top players, receiver Nick Marsh and running back Makhi Frazier, entered the transfer portal in the immediate aftermath.

While the chemistry is surely working out for the fans, it is yet to be seen what his debut with the Spartans will look like. Looking back at his tenure at Northwestern, MSU’s future does look promising.

Pat Fitzgerald’s tenure at Northwestern

Fitzgerald went 110–101 in 17 seasons as Wildcats coach, with a 65–76 record in Big Ten play. The new Spartans HC also saw 10 bowl games, five finishes in the AP and Coaches Poll Top 25 at his old job.

Pat Fitzgerald was the face of Northwestern football. A two-time winner of both the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and Chuck Bednarik Award in 1995 and ‘96, Fitzgerald was nothing less than a legend for the Wildcats. After his playing days, he joined his former alma mater as an assistant coach in 2001, giving almost 27 years of his life as a student and as a teacher all to the Wildcats.

In 2023, hazing allegations emerged against Fitzgerald’s Northwestern program. After a two-week investigation, the program ultimately fired Fitzgerald. He filed a case against the wrongful termination and eventually won after 2 years, entering his football field again.