Pat Fitzgerald has signed a five-year contract to become the next head football coach at Michigan State, sources told ESPN on Monday.
Fitzgerald will replace Jonathan Smith, who was fired Sunday following a victory against Maryland to cap a disappointing 4-8 season.
The 50-year-old Fitzgerald, who will be introduced by the Spartans on Tuesday, reached a settlement with Northwestern in August, two years after he sued the university amid a team hazing scandal that led to his firing following an investigation. Details of the settlement were not made public.
Former Northwestern football players started filing lawsuits in 2023, alleging sexual abuse and racial discrimination on the team. Similar allegations then spread across several sports.
Fitzgerald denied wrongdoing and sued for $130 million. He alleged the school illegally terminated his employment and damaged his reputation, among other things. His case was set to go to trial this month.
Fitzgerald was an All-American linebacker for the Wildcats and starred on the 1995 team that won the Big Ten and played in the Rose Bowl.
He was 110-101 in 17 seasons as Northwestern's head coach. He led the Wildcats to Big Ten West championships in 2018 and 2020 and to five bowl victories. Over his final two seasons, though, Northwestern was 4-20.
Michigan State lost eight of its last nine games this season, and Smith's overall record at MSU was 9-15 and just 4-14 in the Big Ten. Smith is due more than $30 million, according to terms of his seven-year contract.
The program has struggled since the school's winningest coach, Mark Dantonio, retired in 2020 and ended a record-breaking 13-year run with consecutive 7-6 seasons and a .500 Big Ten record over those two years.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.