Welcome to “Big Ten offseason at a glance,” a team-by-team look at the conference at the start of the summer. We’ll examine roster movement for each Big Ten roster and give an early outlook for each Big Ten program for the 2026-27 season.
Up next: Michigan State (27-8 overall in 2025-26, 15-5 in Big Ten play)
Previously: Penn State, Rutgers, Minnesota, Northwestern, Washington, Wisconsin, Iowa, Maryland, Oregon, Purdue, USC, Indiana, UCLA, Ohio State, Nebraska, Illinois
The 2025-26 season was the latest example of why Tom Izzo is a Hall of Fame coach.
After a 30-7 record and an NCAA tournament Elite Eight appearance in the 2024-25 campaign, the expectation was that Michigan State would take a step back last winter.
The Spartans, however, put together another excellent season even after losing Jase Richardson to the NBA and graduating Jaden Akins and several others. Ranked No. 25 in KenPom to start the season, Michigan State exceeded expectations and was one of the best teams in an elite Big Ten.
A breakout redshirt sophomore season from Jeremy Fears Jr., who earned first-team All-Big Ten honors, led Michigan State to 15 conference wins and a trip to the NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen.
After flirting with the NBA draft, Fears is back for another season in East Lansing and Michigan State will begin the 2026-27 season as one of the favorites to win the conference in Izzo’s 32nd season.
Michigan State roster movement
Players returning with eligibility: Jeremy Fears Jr., Kur Teng, Coen Carr, Jordan Scott, Jesse McCulloch, Cam Ward, Kaleb Glenn
Players departing due to NBA Draft/professional route/out of eligibility: Trey Fort, Jaxon Kohler, Carson Cooper, Denham Wojcik
Players who departed via transfer portal: Divine Ugochukwu (to LSU)
Players arriving via transfer portal: Anton Bonke (from Charlotte)
Incoming freshmen: Ethan Taylor, Jasiah Jervis, Carlos Medlock Jr., Julius Avent
Outside of the departure of Ugochukwu, who presumably left for a pay raise at LSU, Michigan State retained every piece of its roster that was eligible to return.
A strong returning core of Fears, Carr, Scott, Teng and Ward gives Michigan State an excellent starting point for its roster. The Spartans also get back Glenn from an injury that forced him to miss the entire 2025-26 season and will hope for a leap forward from McCulloch in the frontcourt.
Michigan State also assembled one of the nation’s best recruiting classes with three top 50 recruits in Taylor, Jervis and Medlock Jr.
With one of the best coaches in the history of the Big Ten roaming the sidelines and a talented roster from top to bottom, Michigan State will be a Big Ten contender.
What to like about Michigan State
Fears will have preseason Big Ten player of the year buzz following his outstanding 2025-26 season. He averaged 15.2 points, 9.4 assists, 2.4 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 32.4 minutes per game. Guard play is paramount to success and Michigan State has one of the best in the country with Fears.
The guard and wing rotation is also strong, with several guys who can fill a variety of roles. Teng is a capable 3-point shooter, Scott showed a ton of potential as a freshman and Carr is one of the best athletes and finishers in the country.
Up front, the Spartans also return the 6-foot-8 Ward, who showed promise in his first season while averaging over five points. And McCulloch will finally get a chance to carve out a more consistent role up front after the graduations of Cooper and Kohler. Michigan State also added the 7-foot-2 Bonke, who averaged 10.6 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocked shots last season at Charlotte.
What to question about Michigan State
The frontcourt rotation is the biggest question Michigan State faces.
Cooper and Kohler were both experienced and extremely productive last winter for the Spartans and both graduated in the spring. The production they vacated will be difficult to replace.
Michigan State will be counting on the largely unproven McCulloch to produce as well as Bonke, who is transferring up. Those transitions are often difficult and there’s no guarantee he’ll be as effective at the high-major level.
Michigan State’s outlook for the 2026-27 season
Here’s Michigan State’s Big Ten schedule for next season:
Home: Iowa, Michigan State, Nebraska, Ohio State, Penn State, UCLA, USC
Away: Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon, Rutgers, Washington
Home/Away: Northwestern, Purdue, Wisconsin
With the unexpected departure of Dusty May to the NBA, it suddenly feels like Michigan State and Illinois are the co-favorites in the Big Ten next winter.
There’s no question that Izzo is hungry for one more run at a national championship, and this group, at the least, should have NCAA tournament second weekend aspirations.
The frontcourt might not be good enough for Michigan State to win the Big Ten, but Fears is arguably the best returning player in the conference, and the Spartans look poised to compete near the top of the league once again.
See More: Commentary, 2026-27 Big Ten preview, Michigan State Spartans