RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesCHICAGO − Pat Fitzgerald is back in the Windy City. Only this time, he's wearing green instead of purple.
The first-year Michigan State football coach returned to his roots to speak at the Big Ten Media Days on Wednesday, July 29. Fitzgerald, a native of nearby Midlothian, Illinois, became an All-American and College Football Hall of Fame linebacker at Northwestern before going on to coach his alma mater from 2006-22. The Spartans hired him Dec. 1 to replace Jonathan Smith, who was fired after two seasons in East Lansing.
MSU is picked to finish 17th in the 18-team Big Ten in the USA Today preseason poll. The Spartans went 4-8 last season and are 33-38 overall and just 18-35 in conference games since Mark Dantonio retired after the 2019 season. They have missed a bowl game in five of those six seasons and have not played in the postseason since 2021.
Fitzgerald was 110-101 in his 17 seasons at Northwestern with a 65-76 Big Ten record and two West Division titles. He was dismissed prior to the 2023 season.
Stay tuned here for live updates from freep.com.
Preseason roster released
11:59 AM ET, July 29 2026 Before Fitzgerald took the podium, MSU released its preseason camp roster. You can check out the entire roster by clicking here and get caught up on the names and numbers.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State's Pat Fitzgerald at Big Ten Media Days: Live updates
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