After four consecutive losing seasons, Michigan State wants to make its 2026 campaign count. The Spartans’ hopes rest on the new head coach, Pat Fitzgerald, who aims to turn things around after spending 17 legendary seasons at Northwestern. Now pair that legacy with the recently revealed culture standards he wants to enforce in East Lansing, and we might see glory again.

“It’s going to be about relationships, and we’re going to pour a whole lot into them. We are going to have very high standards,” Fitzgerald revealed during his Wednesday appearance on See Ball Get Ball with David Pollack, clarifying his non-negotiables.

In this case, the coach also mentioned that the school is focused on building relationships, as that helps not only attract elite talent but also retain it. Having that level of talent leads to greater production, which could be the key to their future success.

So far, Michigan State has brought in 29 players from the portal for the upcoming season. Along with that, the program already boasts firepower in QB Alessio Milivojevic, LB Jordan Hall, and more. One may argue that they were part of MSU’s 4–8 season in 2025, but these players have potential and flashed moments of brilliance. With proper guidance, they could produce more.

This is where coaching becomes paramount. That may be why the 27th head coach in MSU history hired a new staff, including offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan from Alabama, while also retaining four staff members in key roles. However, he is firm about one thing: to have a successful season, the players must remain the primary focus, not the coaching staff.

“The best teams I’ve ever played on, coached, head coach, whatever, if it’s player-run, player-run, it’s going to be unbelievable,” Fitzgerald said. “If it’s ended up coach-run, coach-led, we’ll never achieve our goals. I hope as we move forward over time, it ends up being that the leadership comes from the locker room out, not from the coaching staff in.”

It reflects that the coach clearly wants to turn the page for the Spartans. MSU hasn’t had a winning season since 2021. In 2025 and 2024, the program saw a 4-8 and 5-7 record, respectively, under Jonathan Smith. Before that, under Mel Tucker, they had two losing seasons. Now, Fitzgerald isn’t leaving anything to chance in his effort to make the upcoming season successful.

Starting in 2001, as a graduate assistant, his coaching contributed to Northwestern in a big way, but he was fired in 2023 after a hazing scandal. That’s where a concern arises.

Will Pat Fitzgerald live up to the expectations he set?

Aside from the reportedly “systemic” hazing that included forced participation, Pat Fitzgerald had an outstanding journey with Northwestern. At 31, he took the head coaching position and led Northwestern to 10 bowl game wins and three 10-win seasons, and became the winningest coach in the program’s history with 110 victories.

Still, that controversy could cast a shadow over his potential to lead MSU to bowl eligibility. Last August, following a confidential settlement, he joined Michigan State. However, he still carries the same energy and mindset he had at his former program.

“When you came into Spartan Stadium, your nose was crooked by the time you walked out, and there was just a physicality and a toughness that we’ve just got to get back to being our backbone and DNA,” the 51-year-old said.

Despite having new players on this team, the head coach believes it takes little time for players to adapt to a new system, and fall camp will solve that. Now with a well-balanced team and its potential, Pat Fitzgerald is eyeing ending a nearly four-year drought.