Fitzgerald made that clear to his senior safety, Nikai Martinez, as soon as he got on campus, and since then, Martinez has embraced that message too.

“Urgency, do everything with a passion,” Martinez said. “Treat every rep like a game rep, no matter if it’s walk through no matter if you’re in or out. Get mental reps, get extra reps, do more. Just go above and beyond; you don’t want to be mediocre at any level.”

This mindset greatly differs from the previous regime under former head coach Jonathan Smith, who focused primarily on process and schematics. Fitzgerald’s philosophy remains player-focused with a pressing desire to improve with every single practice. 

Fitzgerald’s personality has spread like wildfire throughout the locker room, igniting every single player with a belief that this season will be a success, and this year will be a start in rebuilding the program.

“I think (belief internally) is an individual choice,” Fitzgerald said. “I think you’ve got to create the right mental habits, and when you do that kind of individually, then we get it by position, side of the ball; collectively as a team we can reach our full potential.”

Championship aspirations are easy to discuss, but much harder to achieve. Fitzgerald believes that belief in oneself, teammates and the coaching staff is necessary in order for MSU to reach that full potential. 

Nobody on the team understands this more than sophomore quarterback Alessio Milivojevic, who has an entirely different set of expectations since the beginning of last season. Milivojevic took over as the starter late in the season against Minnesota and since then, has become one of the newfound leaders of this Spartan team. 

He knows his leadership could make or break this season, so building camaraderie both on and off the field has been key for Milivojevic. But the ultimate goal still remains the same — you still have to win football games.

“That’s the bottom line,” Milivojevic said. “So anytime you have a losing season, it’s going to sting. But I think there’s lessons to be learned from it. There’s lessons from all your losses.”

Whether Milivojevic learns from those lessons will determine the direction of the offense, but in terms of the defense, so much responsibility falls upon senior linebacker Jordan Hall. 

Hall's hard-nosed, dedicated and loyal attitude defines his role as a leader of the Spartan football program. And despite entering the season under his fourth new head coach, he remains motivated and eager to help lead his teammates into becoming better in all phases of the game.

“I just want to be the best teammate I can be, the best linebacker I can be and the best leader I can be,” Hall said. 

After spending the last four years in East Lansing, Hall understands that words only go so far. It’s all about how the team executes on Saturdays that will truly shape the season of this year’s roster. 

While Fitzgerald’s foundational standards are clear — the Spartans know that the next step forward is turning their fall camp intensity and urgency into results on the field.