As official visits commence this upcoming weekend, let’s take a look at the five most important recruits officially visiting Michigan this summer.
Michigan
Wojo: Tough and driven, Fitz fits the Spartans’ football brand
Michigan State head football coach Pat Fitzgerald on his new job
Michigan State head football coach Pat Fitzgerald talks about his new job on Dec. 2, 2025 in East Lansing.
East Lansing — A football play, like a football program, only succeeds when everyone is aligned correctly. No false starts, no illegal procedures.
On the first day of its next era, Michigan State was aligned in all the important ways, with all the important people. It’s the best place to start, and it’s the reason Pat Fitzgerald is here, preaching the Spartan staples of toughness and passion and intensity.
The MSU leadership — president Kevin Guskiewicz and AD J Batt — made the right decision to pick a new direction, which happens to be the preferred, traditional direction. Fitzgerald has been out of college coaching for three seasons, so it remains to be seen how quickly Fitz fits, and how he adjusts to the sport’s crazy new ways. But there’s no doubt he fits the brand and the plan, and with the school fully aligned behind him, he has a real shot to rebuild MSU into a perennial Big Ten contender.
“Toughness was born here, in Michigan State football,” Fitzgerald said at his introduction Tuesday. “And every game is going to be a focus of victory and winning. But there’s one game that just means a little bit more, doesn’t it? I’ll just leave that one alone. … I’m fired up for the challenge, and I’m ready to get to work. It’s just a great day to be a Spartan.”
In those few sentences, Fitzgerald perfectly defined what the Spartans have been, and want to be again. Somewhere in the blur of six ragged years, two divisive coaching regimes and several false starts, MSU lost its way. Batt and Fitzgerald offered proper respect for Jonathan Smith, but this plan was lining up as the Spartans’ 4-8 season unfolded.
Guskiewicz and Batt emphasized the support will be greatly enhanced, financially and otherwise. This was the same day the school launched FOR SPARTA, a capital initiative with the goal of raising $1 billion for all aspects of MSU athletics. It will be sparked if Fitzgerald quickly improves the product, and already is boosted by Tom Izzo’s continued excellence. Thanks to Izzo and Mark Dantonio, Fitzgerald has a blueprint — ahem, greenprint — of how to succeed here.
Build a resilient winner, and the donors and dollars will come. Batt handled this transition well, stealthily pursuing Fitzgerald and landing him with a modest incentive-laden $30-million, five-year contract that starts at $5 million annually. It’s a fair, well-timed match, as Fitzgerald needed a place to start over after his 2023 firing by Northwestern.
Does he have a lot to prove and an insatiable drive to do it? Sure sounds like it. He was 4-20 his final two seasons at Northwestern, but 110-101 overall in 17 seasons, and his teams played with grinding toughness and discipline. He was dismissed in the aftermath of a hazing scandal, and later settled a lawsuit for wrongful termination, with the school saying it found no evidence Fitzgerald knew about the improprieties.
When Fitzgerald talks, his motivational cadence conjures images of Izzo and Dantonio, both of whom he considers friends. He comes to East Lansing not as an outsider, but as a Big Ten man, a kindred spirit.
“As far as my motivation, you don’t have to ask me about that,” said Fitzgerald, whose voice trembled when he talked about his family’s support through the travails. “I’ve been dreaming about this day for a long time, and I don’t want to cry. I’m just so grateful, there’ll be no more motivated coach anywhere else in the country.”
In that regard, he mirrors the ambition of the program. Batt has been here six months, and by most accounts, has stirred donor support and fan interest. He found no reason to engage in unreasonable bidding for expensive, big-name candidates once he started talking with Fitzgerald.
It doesn’t appear a hard sell was required by either side.
“To reach that level of success, it requires alignment at every level,” Batt said. “On the field, I think the impact will be immediate. You can feel Coach’s energy, his attention to detail will be supreme. I know our team will reflect all those parts and pieces, and a little bit of toughness and grit might go with it.”
The impact should be immediate, but that doesn’t mean the winning will. The Spartans haven’t gone to a bowl game since 2021 and are 18-34 in the Big Ten during that span. After nearly six seasons of Smith and Mel Tucker, their roster is disjointed and depth-deprived.
Fitzgerald will be a whirlwind for a while, putting together a staff and trying to keep MSU’s recruiting class intact, with the signing period starting Wednesday. In his three years away from the game, Fitzgerald talked to coaches and studied the evolution of NIL and the transfer portal, while acknowledging the evolving continues.
That can be daunting, not knowing what your roster might look like, year to year. It also can be invigorating, knowing there’s always a fresh start available in the portal. When Guskiewicz and Batt laid out the fundraising and resource potential, Fitzgerald knew where he wanted to be.
“What excited me most about the vision for Michigan State was what J Batt said, having a top 10-athletic department that can be driven by success in football,” Fitzgerald said. “As I looked around the landscape, you see some non-traditional powers that are playing for conference championships, or in the playoff conversation. You better believe Michigan State should be in that conversation. That’s my job, and that’s why I’m here.”
He saw Izzo at lunch Tuesday, before the Spartans played Iowa at night. He’s talked frequently with Dantonio. He recalled how difficult it was to play in Spartan Stadium with the raucous student section, back when he was an All-American linebacker at Northwestern.
He’s seen the traits when the Spartans are great, and hears the resonance in the voices. He made a couple of references to MSU’s rival without mentioning Michigan by name. He knows the hits that play, and the hits that define Michigan State.
“I understand what the fan base wants,” said Fitzgerald, who turned 51 Tuesday. “They want a team that plays fast, tough and physical, with controlled aggression. … Obviously we know who our rival is, and our guys will know who our rival is, every single day. Our focus will be on us, we’ve got to get better.”
Michigan State football coach Pat Fitzgerald greets fans
Michigan State football coach Pat Fitzgerald greets fans at the Breslin Center on Dec. 2, 2025 in East Lansing.
And that’s where Fitzgerald directed the focus when introduced to the Breslin Center crowd during the first half Tuesday night. He was greeted by a throaty roar and a bear hug from Sparty, then took the microphone and unleashed the message.
“Let’s blow the roof off this thing!” he yelled. “We’re gonna get to work, and then let’s get Spartan Stadium rocking this fall!”
Izzo’s Spartans went on to stomp the Hawkeyes 71-52 to move to 8-0. Afterward, Izzo said he felt badly for Smith and the brutal nature of the business, but fully endorsed Fitzgerald for the same reasons others did.
“I think we made a helluva selection,” Izzo said. “He just is on a mission. Cool day for a guy who I think has a lot of Michigan State qualities.”
Now Fitzgerald gets a chance to align his program similarly, in the distinctive Michigan State way. It’s a tough task but he’s been preparing and waiting a long time for it, and knows exactly what he’s getting into.
bob.wojnowski@detroitnews.com
@bobwojnowski
As temperatures rise in Michigan each summer, so to do the chances of harmful algal blooms (HABs) developing in our lakes, causing a risk to both ecosystems and public health.
HABs are formed wherever there is rapid growth of cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, which are naturally found in lakes, rivers and ponds. Some cyanobacteria found in blooms contain toxins that can be harmful to people and animals, and often present as blue-green, yellow or brown streaks, foam, or thick paint-like scums on the water surface, according to the Michigan Departments of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE)
To help keep track of these harmful algal blooms across the state, EGLE has teamed up with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) to update its online reporting form to include harmful algal blooms. Now the public can easily report suspected HABs to the state by filling out the form at Michigan.gov/HABs. Individuals can also make a report by calling EGLE’s Environmental Assistance Center at 800-662-9278.
“This new online form is an easy and efficient way for Michiganders to help monitor and safeguard our water resources,” said Jerrod Sanders, director of Water Resources Division at EGLE, in a news release. “This tool improves efficiency and helps us respond to potential risks more effectively.”
It will also allow EGLE and MDHHS staff to better understand how HABs develop, and creates the potential to send out public notifications about what areas to avoid as a way of keeping people and pets safe when they’re detected.
Breathing in or swallowing water with HAB toxins can cause asthma-like symptoms, difficulty breathing, stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhea, runny eyes and nose, weakness, headaches or dizziness. Skin contact can also cause rashes, blisters or hives.
“If you had contact with or swallowed water with a suspected HAB and feel sick, call your health care provider or seek medical attention as soon as possible,” said Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, chief medical executive.
Locations of HAB reports verified by EGLE and results of cyanotoxin testing will be displayed on the Michigan Harmful Algal Bloom Reports Map for the public to review.
For more information on health effects, causes and reports on the occurrence of HABs in Michigan lakes, visit Michigan.gov/HABs.
Copyright 2026 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit – All rights reserved.
KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Beach season is here, and Lake Michigan is the most popular of the Great Lakes for swimming. However, it can also be the most dangerous.
According to the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, 81 people drowned in the Great Lakes in 2025. 36 of those drownings, or almost half, happened in Lake Michigan.
“Even an Olympic swimmer is not going to swim against the rip current,” Pat Whelan, Plainwell district supervisor for the Michigan DNR Parks and Recreation Division, said.
What makes a rip current so dangerous is the natural instinct to try and swim back to shore. However, it is not the way to escape.
“It’s a term called ‘flip, float, and follow,’ where you flip on your back so you can breathe,” Whelan said. “Follow that, float on the top of that current and follow it out into the lake until you can feel it release you. Then you’re going to swim parallel to the shore, and then the waves themselves will help push you back into the shore.”
It’s been more than 20 years since Andy Fox, 17, drowned in a rip current at Grand Haven State Park, but the pain is still fresh for his mother, Vicki Cech, who rarely goes to the beach.
“When I have company in, sometimes I’ll walk out on the pier, but as a rule I just don’t go there anymore,” Cech said. “Not that beach, because that one does have a lot of sad memories for me.”
Pictured is Andy Fox, 17, in this undated photo. Fox drowned in a rip current at Grand Haven State Park in 2006. (Cech/WWMT)
Compared to other Lake Michigan beaches, Grand Haven State Park has added safety features as conditions are known to change rapidly.
Grand Haven uses the color warning system, but at other beaches, they have flags.
At Grand Haven State Park, however, there is an electronic lighting system on an orange tower. When the life ring on that tower is pulled, Ottawa County dispatch is alerted right away.
Blue towers on the beach are equipped with cameras, providing a video feed of what is happening where the life ring was pulled.
Electric lights instead of flags are used to alert people of swimming conditions at Grand Haven State Park.
“They can push the bottom and actually talk back and forth with central dispatch,” Whelan said.
Alongside these additions, Cech would like to see lifeguards on Grand Haven’s beaches.
“I know there’s all kinds of different things we have down there. Life rings closer to the water and everything like that,” Cech said. “But I’d say the only thing which I see South Haven has finally gotten lifeguards, the ultimate would be lifeguards.”
Michigan got rid of lifeguards at state parks in the 1990’s. The DNR said it was a combination of cost and liability concerns.
South Haven, however, welcomed lifeguards back to the city’s beaches for the first time in 25 years on Monday.
Those lifeguards do not yet have chairs and towers yet, but they will be posted between each flag section, with green, yellow and red colors marking that day’s swimming conditions.
More information about the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project can be found online.
Five-star CB Joshua Dobson, June 12
247Sports “only” has Dobson ranked 43rd nationally. Meanwhile, their composite says he is the 11th-best player in the entire class. Regardless of what the analysts think of the versatile Dobson, he would be a fantastic get for the Wolverines.
Four-stars Tavares Harrington and Darius Johnson, along with three-star Charles Woodson Jr. and three-star Maxwell Miles form an excellent foundation for the class’s secondary. Dobson would not only be the cherry on top, but the hot fudge, sprinkles and peanuts, too.
Here is what he said about Michigan, according to Rivals’ Keegan Pope ($):
“Man, they’re definitely up there. Not a lot of people talk about them in my recruitment, which I don’t know why, but Michigan is strong.”
Four-star WR Dakota Guerrant, June 19
We all know about Guerrant and the Wolverines’ interest in the Harper Woods, Michigan, product. Landing four-star Quentin Burrell does ease some of the pressure of adding a potentially elite playmaker on the perimeter, especially with Oregon playing a significant role in Guerrant’s recruitment, too.
Those Ducks appear to be a serious obstacle. Rivals’ Steve Wiltfong recently talked about Guerrant’s potential pairing with Oregon on “The Wiltfong Whiparound” and how he loves their offense.
Perhaps that marriage is set in stone and Michigan is simply entertaining him on the visit. Perhaps Whittingham and Ron Bellamy can sway the in-stater to stay home.
Three-star edge rusher Ifeanyi Emedobi, June 19
The Wolverines are trending up for the Fort Wayne, Indiana edge rusher. Emedobi may seem a bit redundant with Recarder Kitchen and Jayce Brewer already preparing to don the maize and blue. However, perhaps there are plans for either of the 6-foot-6 Kitchen or 6-foot-5 Brewer to play a more complete defensive lineman role, rather than pure edge work, which feels more likely for someone of Emedobi’s stature (6-foot-1.5, 215 pounds).
Emedobi also only recently started playing football, so who knows where he ends up at the collegiate level. Considering his final four includes Penn State, Indiana and Minnesota, let’s hope Michigan — not the conference foes — gets to solve that question.
Three-star WR Charles Britton III, June 19
Another in-state wide receiver, Britton III, aka “Tre,” hails from Belleville but is drawing heavy interest from Missouri, according to Rivals.
Here is what he had to say about Michigan, via Rivals’ Allen Trieu ($):
“Really, just like being so close to home,” Britton said. “I get to visit them whenever I want really, so I can just get to see how things are going with them. They could take up with me whenever they want too. They’re in my face more, I’d say, because they’re right down the street, so I get to go to them, they get to go to me as many times as possible. So I’m just putting in new relationships and building them fast. It really is — they’re Michigan.”
The official visit should help determine if this is simply love for the hometown school or a legitimate interest in being a Wolverine.
Four-star IOL Lincoln Mageo, June 5
Mageo, from Oceanside, California, may not be regarded as a blue chip prospect, but this is a program that does not necessarily need the most highly touted trenchmen to develop stars. Mageo recently talked to Maize n Brew and praised offensive line coach Jim Harding.
“I loved watching coach Harding break down technique during indy period so that everyone could understand,” Mageo said. “That is the type of coaching that I’m looking for. A coach who takes time to break down technique and focuses on development.
Four-star Jakari Lipsey, and three-stars Sidney Rouleau and Louis Esposito make up the offensive line group in this cycle so far.
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