The Big Ten’s small forward spot is loaded with a rare mix of proven returners and freshmen who look ready to matter right away, and the top of the position is crowded enough to spark a real debate. Andrej Stojakovic and Pryce Sandfort sit right in the middle of that conversation, while a couple of newcomers could shake things up fast.
Brandon McCoy may be listed as a guard, but he’s going to live at the three for Michigan, lining up next to Elliot Cadeau and Trey McKenney, both of whom landed in the top five of their positional rankings. At 6-foot-5 with a reported 6-foot-10 wingspan, McCoy has the kind of length and athletic pop that should let him defend 1 through 3 and even some 4s.
More than that, he brings the kind of edge freshmen usually have to learn the hard way. He plays with that so-called “dog mentality,” and that intensity should make defense an immediate strength.
Offensively, he brings the same force downhill, attacking contact, finishing through it, and crashing the glass. His three-point shot is still coming along, and that will go a long way toward determining how high his ceiling rises next season.
The profile is there for him to be a glue guy from day one, something freshmen rarely pull off.
Coen Carr has spent his three years at Michigan State being defined by two things: absurd leaping ability and a shaky jumper. That second part still matters, because it’s hard to be a major offensive piece at 6-foot-6 if defenders don’t respect the shot.
But Carr has carved out real value anyway. He’s the best off-ball transition threat in the country, and with Jeremy Fears Jr. pushing the break, that part of his game becomes even more dangerous.
He’s a strong slasher, rebounds well on both ends, and gives Tom Izzo the kind of versatile defense that usually comes with the territory in East Lansing. The encouraging sign is that the three-point volume went up last season, with Carr attempting 2.2 per game, even if he hit just 27.6 percent.
If that number climbs again, he could push himself onto an All-Big Ten team and make the Spartans even tougher in March.
Anthony Thompson brings a different kind of danger to Ohio State. The freshman is 6-foot-9 with a 7-foot-3 wingspan and enough spring off one foot or two to make him a problem above the rim.
But what really separates him is the shot-making. He can hit off-the-dribble threes, pull-up jumpers and fadeaways, and his size plus high release point make those looks hard to take away.
He gets to his spots at will and stays efficient even when defenders are draped all over him. Thompson also offers value on defense as a versatile piece and shot blocker, and he’s an underrated passer.
Still, scoring is the headline here, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he finishes as one of the Big Ten’s top scorers.
Stojakovic may be the most dangerous downhill attacker in the conference. He has the burst, the sturdy frame and, most importantly, the stubbornness to keep getting to the rim no matter what’s in front of him.
He knows how to vary his attack, whether that means lengthening his stride, slowing down, Eurostepping, creating contact or choosing between one foot and two before the help arrives. Defensively, he’s become a strong on-ball presence and a plus rebounder at his position.
The one thing still holding him back from the very top is the jumper. If that piece comes around, he’ll jump to the front of this list and plenty of others in 2026-27.
Sandfort, meanwhile, is the best movement shooter in the country and the definition of a gravity puller. He forces defenses to treat every possession like a chase scene, and even with all that attention, he still shot 41.6 percent from deep and buried 3.7 threes per game in 2025-26.
He’s comfortable firing off curls from either direction, can let it go off flares, and thrives on handoffs, pitchbacks and basically every catch-and-shoot setup there is. He also cuts with purpose, rebounds harder than most shooters, defends well and kept his turnover rate down to just 0.7 per game last season.
That’s a clean, efficient offensive package, and it’s why he belongs in the thick of the No. 1 discussion.
In Other News...
Michigan State Just Entered A Recruitment That Could Escalate Fast
Michigan State has jumped into the 2027 race for Jayon Connor, a four-star power forward at Forsyth Country Day School whose summer rise has started to draw real attention. The Spartans extended a scholarship offer as Connor continues working through a recruiting process that already includes multiple major programs, a sign that his profile is moving quickly as coaches take a harder look.
Connors stock got a noticeable boost after his play at the Nike EYB Peach Jam, where he showed enough improvement to earn national ranking recognition. He was unranked in June before climbing into the 247Sports Composite top 100 and near the top of the North Carolina class, and with more offers arriving in a short span, Michigan State is entering the picture at a time when this recruitment still feels very much on the rise. [Read more 🡒]
MSU NIL Rankings Just Sparked One Debate Spartans Fans Know Too Well
A fresh set of estimated NIL valuations has given Michigan State fans another reason to argue about roster building, this time with the Spartans 2026 football group pegged at about $21.8 million by The NIL Standard. The sites numbers are not official and are best treated as educated guesses, but they still offer a revealing snapshot of where value might be concentrated, with starting quarterback Alessio Milivojevic sitting at the top of the board.
The more interesting part is how quickly the rankings turn into a debate over who is being rewarded, who is being overlooked and what those estimates say about the programs offseason priorities. Isaac Smith shows up as a surprising near-million-dollar name despite modest production, Charles Brantley is listed around $468,000 and appears to be valued below his past play, and the Spartans also seem to have poured real resources into the offensive line with several veteran transfers expected to start. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Fans Wont Like Where Alessio Milivojevic Was Just Placed
Alessio Milivojevics first real run as Michigan States quarterback showed enough promise to make him one of the more interesting names in the Big Ten heading into 2026. As a redshirt freshman, he threw for 1,267 yards with 10 touchdowns and three interceptions, and most of that production came after he took over for the final four games of the season.
Still, Sports Illustrateds Zach Koons did not give him much room to climb in his preseason quarterback hierarchy, slotting Milivojevic near the bottom of the Power Four group and well behind several familiar conference names. The ranking reflects the uncertainty around where Michigan States offense is headed next, with his outlook tied to whether the Spartans can give him better protection up front and cleaner support from a reshaped coaching staff. [Read more 🡒]