Pat Fitzgerald looks like a pretty good fit as MSU's next football coach

The Jonathan Smith era of Michigan State football ended Sunday, with athletic director J Batt making the first big move of his tenure. This wasn’t done without a replacement in mind. MSU intends to hire Pat Fitzgerald as its next head football coach shortly , according to multiple sources.

There are some similarities between Smith and Fitzgerald. Both made their names as head coaches at their alma maters, where they had been legends as players. Both Oregon State and Northwestern are tough places to win, and Smith and Fitzgerald built respected programs at each.

But Fitzgerald has some things going for him that Smith didn’t — including Big Ten roots and a sense of what MSU football is at its best, and, notably, th

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