How Fitzgerald Can Rebuild Michigan State's Identity

New Era for Michigan State

CBS Sports college writer Codey Nagel released his post-spring overreactions to every team in the Big Ten. For Michigan State, the biggest overreaction is that the Spartans now have a coach fans can trust.

As Nagel writes, "The Spartans have had just one good season in the six years since Mark Dantonio retired. The Mel Tucker era ended in sexual harassment accusations, and the Jonathan Smith tenure never really generated much long-term traction."

"That's why Michigan State turned to Pat Fitzgerald, a coach known for maximizing talent limitations and building physical, competitive teams in the Big Ten. His familiarity with the league, even after time away, has created a genuine sense of stability and direction that the program hasn't had in years."

Michigan State Football Next Season

Michigan State will not be a good football team next season. With so much turnover on both the roster and coaching staff, it is too much to ask of a coach who has been away from the sidelines for several years to immediately lead the team to a bowl game. Fan expectations of making a bowl game or beating Michigan this year are simply unrealistic.

That said, making a bowl game should not be the primary goal for Fitzgerald and his staff. Michigan State needs to find an identity, something that has been missing through the last two coaching regimes. Mel Tucker bet on high-caliber recruiting without building a foundation beneath it. Jonathan Smith arrived with a system that never translated to Big Ten football. If Fitzgerald makes a bowl game this year, that is a bonus. It should not be the measuring stick.

The real goal is simple: build a foundation and restore the culture of toughness that Michigan State football has long been known for.