After settling the $130 million lawsuit with Northwestern, Pat Fitzgerald is ready for a football comeback. Rumors have spread about his interest in the New York Giants’ head-coaching job. However, Fitzgerald appears to have unfinished business in college football.

Pat Fitzgerald sparked widespread fan interest when cameras spotted him on the sidelines of a Giants practice session. After he expressed his desire to return to coaching, fans began speculating that he might be preparing for an NFL move. But the former Northwestern head coach quickly shut down the rumors, explaining that he was simply supporting his friend and former student, Mike Kafka, who recently became the interim head coach following Brian Daboll’s firing.

“I just told him to trust himself, just like he did when he was a player,” Fitzgerald said in a phone conversation with ESPN.

“And whatever he needs, he’s got me for forever.”

Even the New York Times’ NFL reporter Ryan Dunleavy dismissed the speculation in a post on X.

This suggests Pat Fitzgerald has his eyes on a college football program.

Now, this season’s coaching carousel may be one of the most active in recent years. In September, only five Power 4 programs were searching for head coaches. By November, that number had risen to 12 openings. This means Fitzgerald has plenty of options to choose from.

He has already been linked to programs like LSU and the California Golden Bears. However, the long list of available opportunities could also sway him toward other possibilities.

With $130 million in his pocket from the wrongful termination lawsuit settlement with Northwestern, it seems like Fitzgerald is coming back to make a statement

Which program will Pat Fitzgerald join?

For starters, his name popped up for the LSU job. For a program that has titles, tradition, and unique local support, Fitzgerald could be tempted to join them. However, with Lane Kiffin’s mind games at Ole Miss, Fitzgerald will have competition for the job.

Next up is Penn State, which has dealt with its share of head-coaching issues this season.

After firing James Franklin, the Nittany Lions continued to struggle under interim head coach Terry Smith. So it’s clear that PSU will not extend Smith and is searching for a new head coach. This could be the right job for Pat Fitzgerald, who wants to rebuild his tarnished legacy.

With 110 career wins, Fitzgerald fits PSU’s definition of a successful coach.

The California Golden Bears have also emerged as a possible destination for Fitzgerald. After joining the coaching carousel, Golden Bears general manager Ron Rivera announced Justin Wilcox’s firing, leaving questions about who will take over. Fitzgerald’s name has already surfaced among the candidates.

The other nine programs with head-coach vacancies are Florida, Auburn, Arkansas, UCLA, Oklahoma State, Stanford, Oregon State, UAB, and Colorado State.

Despite the hazing scandal’s impact on his reputation, Pat Fitzgerald has proven he’s a consistent winner. He delivered two Big Ten West Division titles in 2018 and 2020 and elevated the Northwestern program. His individual accolades include Big Ten Coach of the Year honors in 2018 and the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award in 2020.

He would definitely be a major asset to any program that decides to hire him.