The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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130 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2026 FOOTBALL PREVIEW BY CLAYTON SAYFIE Michigan State is back to square one, with its third new head coach in the last four seasons. Mel Tucker was fired in the middle of the 2023 season, and Jonathan Smith flamed out with only nine wins, in- cluding five in the Big Ten, from 2024-25. Now, it's Pat Fitzgerald's turn to try to get the Spartans back to a bowl game for the first time since 2021 — or at least back to their historically typical spot near the mid- dle of the conference. Like Kyle Whitting- ham at Utah, Fitzgerald had only been the head coach at one institution prior to taking a new gig. Fitzgerald went 110-101 at Northwest- ern, where he was an All-American at line- backer, before being fired amid a scandal before the 2023 season. Fitzgerald went under .500 in six of 17 sea- sons but also had three double-digit win cam- paigns, 10 bowl appear- ances and two Big Ten West Division titles. He is the program's winningest coach by 61 victories. Since Fitzgerald was out of the game for three seasons prior to taking over in East Lansing, it's fair to question how he'll ad- just to the ever-changing landscape of the sport, though he was studying it closely during his hiatus. Turning around MSU's fortunes won't happen overnight. The Spartans under- went a lot of change this offseason, with 28 transfer additions and 37 portal defections. Nick Sheridan, a former Michigan quar- terback, has joined as offensive coordina- tor, while Fitzgerald retained Joe Rossi as the defensive play caller. Poaching special teams coordinator and assistant head coach LeVar Woods from Iowa was a coup. "I like where we're at. We have a lot of depth that's going to have to compete, improve and get better as we move forward," Fitzgerald said after the spring. The program stuck with redshirt sopho- m o r e q u a r t e r b a c k Alessio Milivojevic as the starter for 2026, af- ter he opened the final four games of the year in taking over for Aidan Chiles, who transferred to Northwestern. The 6-foot-3, 223-pound Naperville, Ill., na- tive connected on 64.2 percent of his passes for 1,267 yards and 10 touchdowns with 3 interceptions, flashing his effectiveness as a thrower. Former Michigan wideout Fredrick Moore is among the pass-catchers Milivo- jevic has to work with, but redshirt senior Chrishon McCray (24 catches, 330 yards, 3 TD in 2025) is the most proven option since All-Big Ten honorable mention selection Nick Marsh transferred to Indiana. The Spartans need more from their of- fensive line this season, which is bolstered by center Trent Fraley (29 starts at North Dakota State) and left tackle Ben Murawski (19 starts at UConn). Fraley was the Rim- ington Award winner at the FCS level in 2025, handed out to the nation's best center. The Spartan run game was poor last season (122.8 yards per game; 110th in the country) but is expected to improve with redshirt senior Cam Edwards transferring in from UConn, where he rushed for 1,240 yards and 15 scores in 2025. Animated on the sideline, Rossi is head- ing into his second season with the Spar- tans. His defense ranked 104th nation- ally by allowing 29.9 points per contest a year ago and badly needs playmakers to emerge. The Spartans averaged only 1.8 sacks per game (tied for 88th in the FBS) and forced only 9 turnovers (tied for 123rd). The team's leaders in sacks had only 2.5, with no disruptive player sepa- rating himself from the pack. Rossi's group returns senior leading tackler Jordan Hall at linebacker (92 stops), and redshirt senior safety Nikai Martinez is back healthy after missing most of last season with injury. Martinez leads an ex- perienced secondary that saw sixth-year senior Charles Brantley, who spent his first four seasons in East Lansing, transfer back after one year at Miami (Fla.). Martinez and Brantley each have 5 career interceptions and could change the game for a defense that had a rough 2025. ❑ Pat Fitzgerald Starts A Slow Build At Michigan State GAME 9 • MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS • NOV. 7 Redshirt sophomore quarterback Ales- sio Milivojevic passed for 292 yards and 4 touchdowns in a 38-28 season-ending victory over Maryland. PHOTO BY MICHIGAN STATE ATHLETICS REASONS FOR OPTIMISM • HC Pat Fitzgerald is a proven winner in the Big Ten • QB Alessio Milivojevic is back • DC Joe Rossi's return provides continuity Fitzgerald is attempting to change the culture, and he has proof he can win. REASONS FOR CONCERN • Offensive line has to be much better • Five road games, including at Notre Dame • Roster lacks difference-makers The MSU roster has been heavily deci- mated since it last made a bowl game in 2021, and Fitzgerald won't flip the fortunes easily. 2026 SCHEDULE Date Opponent 2025 Result Sept. 4 TOLEDO — Sept. 12 EASTERN MICHIGAN — Sept. 19 at Notre Dame — Sept. 26 NEBRASKA L, 38-27 Oct. 3 at Wisconsin — Oct. 10 ILLINOIS — Oct. 17 NORTHWESTERN — Oct. 24 at UCLA L, 38-13 Nov. 7 at Michigan L, 31-20 Nov. 14 WASHINGTON — Nov. 20 OREGON — Nov. 28 at Rutgers — QUICK FACTS All-Time Series: Michigan leads 75-38-5 First Meeting: U-M 39, MSU 0 (Oct. 12, 1898, in Ann Arbor) Last Meeting: U-M 31, MSU 20 (Oct. 25, 2025, in East Lansing, Mich.) Head Coach: Pat Fitzgerald, 0-0 at MSU (first year), 110-101 overall (18th year) 2025 In Review: 4-8, 1-8 Big Ten Final 2025 Ranking: Unranked Returning Starters: 6 (3 offense, 3 de- fense, 0 special teams) Last Bowl Appearance: 2021 (Peach Bowl vs. Pittsburgh, W 31-21) RETURNING LEADERS Passing: Alessio Milivojevic (1,267 yards, 10 TD) Rushing: Brandon Tullis (301 yards, 4 TD) Receiving: Chrishon McCray (330 yards, 3 TD) Tackles: Jordan Hall (88) Sacks: Jordan Hall (2.5) Interceptions: Aveon Grose, Jordan Hall (1)