As the Northwestern football hazing scandal rages on, former Wildcats head coach Pat Fitzgerald is back to coaching football, but his new role with the Loyola Academy Ramblers is a massive step down from his formerly lofty perch in the Big 10.

Fitzgerald will spend the 2023 football season as a volunteer assistant coach for the Loyola Academy high school football team in Wilmette, Illinois, according to The Record North Shore. The former Northwestern football will help first-year coach Beau Desherow and coach one of his three children on the team.

While going from the Big 10 to Illinois high school football is a major demotion, Loyola Academy boasts one of the best high school football programs in the state. The team is the defending IHSA Class 8A (the top division in Illinois) state champions and has a 31-2 record over the last three seasons. In addition to his son on the team, Fitzgerald is also the father of another student at the school and a recent graduate.

The school released a statement confirming the move, writing, “Supporting (Coach Desherow) are many assistant coaches as well as parent volunteers, who provide an invaluable service to all of our athletic teams — indeed, our entire Loyola community — assisting with gameday management, logistics, offering fresh insight, etc. Among other volunteers, current parent Pat Fitzgerald (parent of a 2023, ’25 and ’27 graduate) will serve as a volunteer for the football program.”

After news of the Northwestern football hazing scandal broke earlier this year, the school fired Pat Fitzgerald as the person responsible for overseeing the program.