Michigan State may have found the jolt it has been missing, and it comes in the form of freshman guard Jasiah Jervis.
Through three exhibition games, the message from the Spartans has been hard to ignore: the offense needs help, and it needs it quickly. Jervis has been one of the few steady positives in a stretch that included two exhibition losses this week, and his play has given Tom Izzo a real option as the season approaches.
The 6-foot-4 McDonald’s All-American has brought the kind of edge and production Michigan State has been searching for. That matters because the Spartans’ backcourt picture has been unsettled, especially at shooting guard.
Ever since Tre Holloman left last year through the transfer portal to join NC State, Michigan State has tried different answers. Players on the roster got looks, transfers were tried, and nothing really held.
By the end of the season, freshman Jordan Scott was getting the minutes and starting at the spot, even if it clearly wasn’t his natural fit.
Jervis has changed that conversation.
He is one of the highest-rated recruits Izzo has landed in quite some time, and he has already shown that he can handle the job on both ends of the floor. In just 21 minutes per game, Jervis averaged 13 points, two rebounds and one assist while shooting 55% from the field and 53% from three-point range on six attempts per game.
That kind of shooting is exactly what Michigan State has lacked. The Spartans’ outside game has been a problem for the past two years, with inconsistency leaving the team searching for a lift throughout last season. Jervis does not shy away from the shot, and he has been making them at a strong clip against quality competition.
Izzo has often been hesitant to lean on highly recruited freshmen, no matter how much hype comes with them. But this time, it looks like he may be ready to hand Jervis major minutes right away, with the possibility that he starts from the opening night.
Michigan State opens the regular season against Quinnipiac on Tuesday, November 3, and the biggest question hanging over the Spartans is whether Jervis has already done enough to win that starting role.
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Michigan State Just Got A New Reason To Circle Oregon
Oregons midseason shakeup adds another layer to a matchup Michigan State already had circled. Dan Lanning moved on from his offensive coordinator after the loss to Illinois, and the Ducks have now turned to former Spartans coordinator Jay Johnson in that role on a temporary basis. For Michigan State, it is the kind of storyline that makes a late-season trip a little more personal, because the staff on the other sideline now includes a familiar face from East Lansing.
The timing matters, too, because Oregon is trying to steady itself after a rough stretch that has included three losses and the season-ending injury to quarterback Dante Moore. Johnson stepping in gives the Ducks a different look offensively at a moment when they need answers fast, and Michigan State will get a chance to see how that transition settles in before it plays out on the field. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Is Finally Making A Serious Push To Rebuild Fast
Pat Fitzgeralds first season in East Lansing has not delivered the kind of on-field turnaround Michigan State was hoping for, but the bigger picture around the program may be starting to move in a much more ambitious direction. New athletic director Dan Bartholomae has already signaled that he wants the Spartans to spend at a level that can keep them among the Big Tens financial heavyweights, a clear acknowledgment that roster building now matters as much as any coaching change.
According to a report by Justin Spiro, that shift could show up in a major way this offseason, with Michigan State planning to spend in the high-$30 million range on its football roster. If that number holds, the Spartans would be putting themselves in the top five for Big Ten spending, a sign that the school is trying to speed up its rebuild rather than wait for it to happen gradually. The question now is whether that investment can translate into the kind of immediate competitive jump the program has been searching for. [Read more 🡒]
Jack Velling Reignites A Familiar Michigan State What-Might-Have Debate
Jack Vellings NFL path has already taken a familiar turn for Michigan State fans who remember the promise and the inconsistency from his two seasons in East Lansing. The undrafted rookie tight end landed with the Falcons after the preseason, only to be released, leaving him back in the market for another practice-squad opportunity as he tries to keep his pro career moving.
For Spartans followers, Velling is one of those players who naturally triggers the what-might-have-been conversation. His college stint offered flashes without fully settling into the kind of breakout run that changes a programs view of a player, and now his next stop will say plenty about whether there is still untapped NFL value waiting to be found. [Read more 🡒]