The college football coaching carousel has been particularly active this year, with 11 FBS programs firing their coach since the start of the 2025 season.
A potential candidate for several of those vacancies has a lengthy and largely successful track record – one he believes is clean, too.
In an interview with ESPN’s ‘College GameDay’ podcast, former Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald said he feels ‘100% vindicated’ following the settlement of a wrongful termination lawsuit with the university earlier this year.
Fitzgerald, a former All-American linebacker at the school, was fired by Northwestern in July 2023 after allegations of hazing within the Wildcats’ football program.
After his dismissal, he sued the university for $130 million for wrongful termination. The case was settled in August, though terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
Though Northwestern noted that ‘inappropriate conduct in the football program did occur,’ the school said in a statement that ‘The evidence uncovered during extensive discovery did not establish that any player reported hazing to Coach Fitzgerald or that Coach Fitzgerald condoned or directed any hazing.’
‘I feel 100% vindicated,’ Fitzgerald said to ESPN. ‘You alluded to the statement earlier. I’ll let that speak for itself. … I feel very vindicated. Especially for our players and their families. The facts are the facts.’
In his 17 seasons as Northwestern’s head coach, Fitzgerald took what had been the Big Ten’s historic doormat and transformed it into a consistent bowl participant. The Wildcats went 110-101 over the course of his tenure, making him by far the winningest coach in program history. During that time, they made 10 bowl games, won two Big Ten west division championships and won at least 10 games three times, giving Fitzgerald three of the five 10-win seasons in Northwestern history.
Though it was the hazing allegations that brought an end to his accomplished run at his alma mater, Fitzgerald’s final teams had struggled. The Wildcats went 4-20 in Fitzgerald’s final two seasons, including a 1-11 mark in what would be his last season at the school in 2022.
The 50-year-old Fitzgerald told ESPN he’s actively seeking a return to college coaching and that his candidacy has been ‘received very well.’
‘It’s not been an easy road,’ Fitzgerald said to ESPN. ‘We let the facts speak for themselves, and we’re ready to move forward and move on.’