Northwestern separates emotion from 'Priority No. 1' in looming game vs. Pat Fitzgerald, Michigan State
Chip Kelly, David Braun talk new Ryan Field's impact fot Northwestern football
Ryan Field will re-open this year as one of the newest and best assets Northwestern will have to offer. Wildcats coach David Braun and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly spoke on the field of the new stadium.
Eventually, worlds were going to collide. It was just a bit sooner than Northwestern coach David Braun might have thought.
Pat Fitzgerald, Wildcat legend and Braun’s old boss, is back in the Big Ten. He’s also on Northwestern’s schedule in 2026.
Braun will lead NU into East Lansing on Oct. 17. The Spartans could visit the Wildcats in 2027, too.
It’s going to be weird. There are emotions tied to it, of course. But, at Big Ten Media Days, Northwestern isn’t looking at that game vs. MSU as anything more than just a game on a schedule the ‘Cats need to win.
Big picture view:
Once Fitzgerald was exonerated from the hazing scandal that led to his dismissal at Northwestern, it was only a matter of time before he was a college coach again.
Fitzgerald took over Michigan State after the Spartans moved on from Jonathan Smith. At his first Big Ten Media Days since 2022, Fitzgerald brought the same demeanor that made him so beloved at Northwestern.
"I wouldn't say I have a chip on my shoulder. I wouldn't say our program has a chip on our shoulder," Fitzgerald said on Wednesday. "I'd say we have a bag of chips on our shoulder."
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JULY 29: Head coach Pat Fitzgerald of the Michigan State Spartans speaks to the media during the 2026 Big Ten Football Media Days at Hilton Chicago on July 29, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
He shared plenty of lines like that while wearing purple. He’s now in green and white.
This offers an interesting moment for NU. There are some who have connections to Fitzgerald on the team, like defensive coordinator Tim McGarigle, and a few players who Fitzgerald recruited that are on the current Wildcats roster.
Running back Caleb Komolafe is one of those players. Fitzgerald recruited him before he was dismissed.
"It'll be cool to see Coach Fitz," Komolafe said. "Ultimately, it's another game. I'm ready. It's, it's a football game."
There won’t be any emotions tied to this game.
"We wouldn't be focused on that," Komolafe said. "We'd be ready to just play Michigan State as a team on the field."
Maybe there will be some emotions as the game inches closer. Fitzgerald or someone else might create them.
Fitzgerald did so in Chicago. Namely, Fitzgerald took a veiled shot at his old employer on Wednesday, even if he did mention NU by name.
"I'm just excited to have a home-field advantage," Fitzgerald said on Wednesday. "Never lived that. It's going to be cool. Really excited about it, not going to lie."
Fitzgerald coached at NU for 17 years, for context. In 17 years, he’s never had a home-field advantage?
Ouch.
What say you, David Braun? He paused for a small second, and then offered a response.
"I'm excited to have a home field advantage at New Ryan Field, too," Braun said, firmly on the high road.
'We delivered on being the best': Northwestern football calls its shot with Ryan Field nearing finish
The finish line to re-open the modernized Ryan Field is approaching. Northwestern has called its shot while putting the finishing touches on the future of its program.
The other side:
Northwestern has firmly separated itself from the Fitzgerald era. That’s behind NU, Braun and the players. Look no further than the comments Braun made on Thursday.
"It's posted in our building: New era, bold expectations," Braun said.
That new era is built off the ashes of the Fitzgerald era, to be clear. New Ryan Field isn’t built unless there was an example of how successful football can be at Northwestern to begin with.
CHICAGO, IL - SEPTEMBER 13: Head coach David Braun of the Northwestern Wildcats celebrates after the Northwestern Wildcats score a touchdown during a college football game between the Oregon Ducks and the Northwestern Wildcats on September 13, 2025,
There are emotions there. This is Braun’s team, but Fitzgerald brought him to Evanston in 2023. It’s natural Braun, and others, will feel something.
"You got to try and remove those emotions to the best of your ability," Braun said. "It comes back to like, it's not a ‘but’ or an ‘or’ situation, it's ‘and.’"
What he means is that two things can be true at the same time.
The first truth is that Braun and plenty of others at NU can harbor grace and be grateful for what Pat Fitzgerald has done for them.
"It's okay for me to acknowledge that I will forever be indebted and grateful to Pat Fitzgerald for believing in me and giving me an opportunity to coach in the Big Ten," Braun said.
The other truth is more simple.
"Priority No. 1 is that's our competition," Braun said. "We got to position ourselves to do everything in our power to be at our best in East Lansing."