EAST LANSING ~ In an era of frequent transfers and NIL advantages, many college football coaches have similarly shifted commitments. First-year MSU Head Football Coach Pat Fitzgerald will face first-year Toledo Head Football Coach Mike Jacobs on Friday in what Fitzgerald called “a hard matchup for us in week one.”
Friday will be the first test of the coaches’ success in quickly building trust with their team, but Jacobs had a head start in cultivating team culture. Jacobs joined Toledo on a high–he finished the 2025 season 9-3 as head coach at Mercer. The Rockets matched their coach’s momentum, coming off an 8-5 season that concluded with a bowl win over Louisville in the Boca Raton Bowl. Jacobs also brought 14 players with him from Mercer to Toledo, which Fitzgerald acknowledged is “a huge advantage for them.”
Fitzgerald has a bigger gap to close between last season and a successful 2026 season. MSU Football finished 2025 4-8, extending the Spartans’ four-year losing streak. While he led Northwestern to a 7-6 record, he brought no players with him to East Lansing. Every relationship started from scratch in the spring, but Fitzgerald said he welcomes the expectations that come with the rebuild: “Pressure is a privilege.”
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Aug. 30, 2026 ~ Michigan State University and Detroit Pistons announcer George Blaha previews the upcoming college football season with Mark.
Beyond the roster rebuild, Fitzgerald has drawn early confidence from the MSU community. Hall of Fame broadcaster and 55-year Spartan Football play-by-play caller George Blaha said on 760 WJR’s ‘JR Sunday that “you can tell he relates well to these young men, and they’re ready to follow him. I think Michigan State landed a great coach, and they’re set for what I think will be a surprisingly good season.”
Since MSU classes started Monday, Fitzgerald said that campus is “buzzing,” an energy he hopes to carry into the season opener. Expectations will be tested for Fitzgerald and the Spartans when they face Toledo on Friday, Sept. 4, at 8 p.m.
