Michigan State hires Fitzgerald

[Gophers7NatTitlesBadgers0]

If he had achieved at Minnesota what he did at Northwestern he would be a legend here! I think he is going to do great at Michigan St. as it is a more traditional football school than Northwestern.

I'm trying to think of a sport NW is traditionally great at.

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

I'm trying to think of a sport NW is traditionally great at.

Administration waffling….

 

[Bob_Loblaw]

Fitzgerald has a very strange coaching record. If you take out the COVID year, he was 3-24 in his last Big 10 seasons. Should you take it out? Should you count it? I honestly don't know.

If I'm Michigan State, I don't love the hire. But as a team who has to play against Michigan State, I also don't really love the hire.

 

[pk2]

I'm trying to think of a sport NW is traditionally great at.

Northwestern’s women’s lacrosse team has won eight NCAA championships since 2005.

Also, its women’s field hockey team has won three NCAA championships since 2021, including the last two.

I’m not sure if that fits the definition of “traditional,” but it’s impressive, in any event.

 

[forever a gopher]

I would agree with others in that this raises their floor. Not sure I see Fitz as a guy that will push them into the playoff discussion, however. A perfectly cromulent hire.

Maybe I'm wrong, but Fitz doesn't strike me as a guy that will be overly adept at dealing with the "new" college football landscape. Players have more power, you have to cater to freshman and get them on the field or risk losing them, paying players, etc. He is more of an old-school type guy, and debatable if he can adequately adjust.

 

[MNSpaniel]

I'm trying to think of a sport NW is traditionally great at.

I don't follow basketball but I recall them being competitive lately in that area. You would have thought that facility and upcoming new stadium would have really helped their football program?

College football's most expensive stadium ever sees arena replace 100-year home

Northwestern is entering the 2025 season with low expectations on the field. Chicago’s Big Ten team had little to shout about last season, as the Wildcats posted a 4-8 record that saw them finish i…

talksport.com

 

[Some guy]

Fitzgerald has a very strange coaching record. If you take out the COVID year, he was 3-24 in his last Big 10 seasons. Should you take it out? Should you count it? I honestly don't know.

If I'm Michigan State, I don't love the hire. But as a team who has to play against Michigan State, I also don't really love the hire.

If I’m a Michigan state fan im assuming all the good times were him and all the bad times were northwestern

But Gary Barnett and Randy Walker both winning big ten titles tells me all the winning wasn’t just Fitz.

If I’m me I’m assuming it’s a mix.

 

[UpAndUnder43]

A+ hire. My Michigan friends disappointed they got someone gold.

 

[WHB Brewer]

Guy fired during scandal and was 3-9 and 1-11 his last two years is a homerun hire? Man I don't know about that. Had been pretty bad since 2019. Sure had some good years at Northwestern but was showing more and more he wasn't equipped for the changed game. I'm happy about this hire, it's another Michigan State bust.

agree with this. Fitz's NW "golden boy" status won't mean much at MSU. if he doesn't complete with Michigan, he will get bounced also. I thought Jon Smith was a good hire would have done better and got at least another year to get his own players rolling