Michigan State Spartans Coach Pat Fitzgerald's First Camp Session Yields Positive Results

Michigan State Spartans head coach Pat Fitzgerald's first camp session at Michigan State was a resounding success, with the energetic and pragmatic coach overseeing the first installment of the Michigan State football camp since he came aboard. The latest evidence came on Tuesday when Fitzgerald oversaw the first installment of the Michigan State football camp since he came aboard. Football followers are familiar with Fitzgerald’s energetic sideline demeanor as a head coach, via his 18 seasons as the boss at Northwestern. On Tuesday, at camp, with no fans in the stands, no scoreboard, and no television audience, he was the same upbeat, high-RPM coach, and then some. Fitzgerald mixed smiles and encouragement, plus some gruff Midwestern-flavored barking to the 170-plus high school players who participated. Most football players like to get barked at a little bit. They just do. And Fitz sounded off loudly when defensive backs made too much contact and took wide receivers to the ground. Fitz wanted NO ONE to finish drills on the ground. He aims for safety and healthy exits from camp. Players falling to the ground can derail that goal. When another rep or two resulted in players going to the ground, Fitz offered high-decibel corrections. Eventually, the players listened. There was some real coaching going on. Fitz loved it, and he received positive responses from the players. Seeing Michigan State’s head man out on the field, doing evaluations, coaching, correcting and giving high fives offered a constructive, refreshing change. In more than 30 years of covering these events, I’ve always felt that Michigan State’s camp is an important spoke in the recruiting wheel. Its role and significance has been altered, due to the changing nature of recruiting and the recruiting calendar. No scholarship offers or commitments came within the first 24 hours following Michigan State’s initial camp session of 2026, but it was clear that camp is back to being a significant checkpoint in Michigan State’s recruiting enterprise.