Michigan State is moving on from Jonathan Smith and appears to already have the next leader of the football program lined up. The Spartans plan to hire former Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald, according to multiple reports on Sunday, the first from the Lansing State Journal/Detroit Free Press.

The program intends to hire ex- Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald, according to the Detroit Free Press. Michigan State's brief search for a new head coach ended after new Michigan State athletic director J Batt fired Jonathan Smith earlier in the day.

It didn't take long for the first transfer portal announcement to come after the Spartans fired Jonathan Smith.

Follow along here for live updates as Michigan State closes its season seeking its first Big Ten win, taking on Maryland at Ford Field in Detroit.

MSU (3-8 overall, 0-8 Big Ten) is looking to avoid a humiliating label that would come with one more loss. That would be becoming the first Spartan team to lose all of their conference games. Michigan State joined the Big Ten in football in 1953.

Michigan and Ohio State battle every Saturday after Thanksgiving on the football field. Here's a look at numbers comparing the universities off the gridiron.