Michigan State football is all new on the sideline coming into 2026 and the excitement surrounding the program is growing rapidly. Pat Fitzgerald was hired as the coach of the upcoming season in Michigan State after a disappointing 4-8 record the year before.
The unrest has been evident on social media platforms such as Dbbet, where fans have been following the college football story, odds and roster updates. There are plenty of things to digest about the Spartans’ new man on the job and their new team. The latest updates on the state of Michigan State football.
Who is the Michigan State Football Coach?
Pat Fitzgerald is the 27th head coach in Michigan State football history. He was hired on Dec. 2, 2025, days after the school let go of Jonathan Smith after a difficult two seasons that saw him fall to 4-8 and 1-8 in Big Ten conference play.
Fitzgerald has a reputation to uphold as he comes to East Lansing, as he has been a part of Northwestern’s winning legacy, where he was one of the winningest coaches in the history of the Big Ten. His appointment was a clear sign of Michigan State’s administration’s desire to hire a proven leader who could help turn the program around and make it competitive again, which it had not had a winning season since 2021.
It’s important to compare with the in-state rival: Michigan State is desperately trying to find its footing, whereas the Michigan football coach situation has been quite stable in recent years and here Fitzgerald has to make a quick turnaround to catch up with the competition.
Pat Fitzgerald Coaching Experience
Prior to his arrival at Michigan State, Fitzgerald had spent years establishing a résumé at Northwestern, where he was known as a disciplined, defense-driven football coach who overachieved given the resources he had at his disposal in recruiting, when compared to other Big Ten programs. The reason for Michigan State targeting him for this rebuild is that of his reputation of getting the most out of his rosters.
Fitzgerald’s approach to coaching isn’t about “magic bullets” or pop-up programs, but about building character, a culture, and developing the program for long-term success.
That’s the approach MSU needs right now, and that’s a program that’s looking to put in place a foundation to build on. Athletic department officials have been honest that the 2026 season is not necessarily the season the program will turn around; it is rather the season in which they will put the pieces in place for continued success in 2027, 2028 and beyond.
Michigan State’s 2026 Coaching Staff
When Fitzgerald took the job, one of his first steps was to put together a full coaching staff and he didn’t hesitate to do so. Eight new assistant coaches join the ranks at Michigan State for the 2026 season, with some continuity provided by a few old faces.
Key staff for 2026:
- Nick Sheridan: OC (15 years collegiate coaching experience, previously with Alabama and Indiana).
- Joe Rossi: Defensive Coordinator, from last year’s staff and on his third season as defensive coordinator.
- Max Bullough: A new addition to the staff for 2026, Max Bullough is the Co-Defensive Coordinator.
- LeVar Woods: Another prominent addition is LeVar Woods, Assistant Head Coach and Special Teams Coordinator.
- Courtney Hawkins: Receivers coach (from previous system).
- Brian Wozniak: Tight ends coach (also retained).
Fitzgerald also added a SEC-coached QB coach from Alabama, and a number of other assistants charged with building a team that was projected to be very much in a state of flux for the upcoming season. He has a combination of outside hires and retained ones, meaning they bring not only knowledge of the organization, but also a fresh perspective to the team.
Michigan State Football Coach News & Updates
It’s been a busy offseason and preseason for fans who’ve been keeping up with the latest Michigan football coach news. Since being hired, Fitzgerald has held his first press conference as head coach, and has been holding regular press conferences during spring practice, the Spring Showcase in April and fall camp press conferences in August.
Fitzgerald and his staff were able to look at the team in the spring evaluation period and it was followed by an active transfer portal season. Michigan State has also signed an additional 32 transfers for the 2026 season, 15 defensive and 13 offensive, who between them have accumulated almost 360 career starts. That turnover in line-ups is a prime example of the amount of changes that had to be made after the last coach’s problems.
In early August, fall camp officially began and fans saw their first extended look at how Fitzgerald’s system is coming together on the field. The amount of practice reports, depth chart skirmishes and constant changes to the staff make for a lot of things to follow closely during the offseason for those that are.
What We Can Expect at Michigan State Football in 2026
The hype is subdued around Fitzgerald’s first full season and there are good reasons for that. MSU has come off a 4-8 record and the previous coach’s record proved to be a major failure. The Big Ten analysts have been uniformly cautious about calling 2026 a year to build a foundation, instead of the return to contention.
There are still things to cheer about however! Senior linebacker Jordan Hall is back as a team captain, having led the Spartans with 88 tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks last year. He’s a preseason all-Big Ten pick and will likely provide the backbone for a defense that is still making a lot of changes around him.
The Spartans have a big game with Michigan set. This game is important because Michigan State had not beaten its in-state opponent in a while prior to this year’s matchup, which also comes off of a bye week, where fans hope to see improvement under the new coaching staff. The regular season ends with a road trip to Rutgers in late November, highlighting a season dominated by early chances for Fitzgerald’s system to take on early momentum.
In reality, a majority of observers rate growth pains in 1 year. With a seasoned head coach, an almost complete overhaul of the roster and a staff that is a mix of experience and youth, Michigan State fans have little reason for guarded optimism about the direction of the program.
Final Word
Pat Fitzgerald will be the new Michigan State football coach and the early indications suggest a transitioning program with direction. There’s a rebuilding coaching staff, new transfer players and a head coach who has a history of overachieving, which could be a multi-year turnaround in 2026. Follow Michigan State football coach news all season to find out how Fitzgerald’s first season in East Lansing will go.