The 51-year-old, who has not coached since his 1-11 season with Northwestern in 2022, holds the record as the winningest coach in the program’s history with a 110-101 overall tally. He earned the BIG 10 Coach of the Year award in 2018 after a 9-5 season, including a 31-20 victory over No. 20 Utah in the Holiday Bowl.

Michigan State dismissed former head coach Jonathan Smith following a 4-8 season (1-8 in conference play) this year, marking consecutive losing seasons (5-7 in 2024). As part of his contract buyout, Smith will receive $32.5 million.

The Spartans have declined as a program and are turning to the experienced Fitzgerald for guidance. The team has failed to achieve a winning season for four consecutive years and missed every bowl game from 2022 to 2025.

To give context, Michigan State had only missed two bowl appearances in the previous 15 years, finishing in the AP Top 20 in eight of those seasons.

They aim to return to success in 2025.