Michigan State’s new football coach Pat Fitzgerald wasted zero time showing off his personality, dropping two lighthearted jabs at LSU coach Lane Kiffin during his debut radio show on Tuesday, Sept. 1. This guy isn’t just a coach, he’s already a stand-up comic, and college football fans everywhere are getting a taste of what’s coming to East Lansing.
Fitzgerald’s First Jab: The Portal Punchline
First up, Fitzgerald didn’t miss a beat when offensive lineman Conner Moore joined the broadcast. The host, Dalton Shetler, was hyping up Moore like crazy, listing off all his superlatives: a senior, played a team-high 765 snaps last season, and was fifth in the Big Ten with an 80.4 run blocking grade after coming over from Montana State. Shetler asked Fitzgerald if they should keep showering Moore with praise, and Fitz just goes, “Yeah, go ahead, this is great. He’s staying, he’s not leaving. He just told us that.” Moore, a lifelong MSU fan from near Toledo, chuckled that there’s no “spring portal” so he couldn’t leave anyway. That’s when Fitzgerald dropped the first jab, quick as a flash: “Maybe Lane Kiffin will take him or something. Is that too soon?” The laughter was immediate, and you just know everyone listening was cracking up. This dude is already taking shots, and it’s awesome.
Fitzgerald’s Second Jab: The Volleyball Sweep
Later in the show, Fitzgerald was talking about the wild world of college athletics travel, especially for non-football programs. He said there’s “no way that you can be putting your volleyball team halfway across the country every other week or so on and so forth with those sports.” That’s when Shetler jumped in with the perfect setup, mentioning that MSU, under coach Kristen Kelsay, had actually just swept LSU 3-0 in the Big Ten/SEC Volleyball Challenge in Ann Arbor that very Tuesday afternoon! Fitzgerald didn’t even hesitate. “Lane Kiffin wasn’t there, huh?” he dryly quipped, immediately acknowledging it was his second Kiffin joke of the show. More laughter, of course. He then added, “He’s my friend, too. I love you, brother.” Yeah, right, Fitz. We all know what’s up. You can practically hear Kiffin already planning his retort.
This is just the start of the Fitzgerald era, folks, and if his radio show debut is any indication, we’re in for a wild ride. Michigan State kicks off his first season this Friday night at Spartan Stadium against Toledo. You know all eyes will be on how he brings that big personality from the airwaves to the sidelines. Don’t miss it, 8 p.m. on FS1. This is gonna be fun!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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