After spending time away from major collegiate coaching following his departure from Northwestern University, Pat Fitzgerald was officially hired as the new head football coach for the Michigan State University Spartans on December 1, 2025. According to publicly reported term sheets and contract details surrounding his highly anticipated hiring in East Lansing, Fitzgerald secured a lucrative five-year agreement that guarantees him a minimum of $30 million. This massive financial package includes an annual base salary of $4 million for each of the five seasons, supplemented by a generous supplemental pay structure that starts at $1 million in his first year and escalates to $3 million by the final year. Furthermore, performance-based incentives tied to conference championships and postseason success could potentially push his total compensation beyond $50 million over an extended eight-year period, reflecting the immense financial stakes of modern Big Ten football.