Michigan State went into the offseason with one obvious hole to fill, and now that gap is starting to shape the whole conversation around the team.
The Spartans had a lot of reasons to feel good about 2026-27 the moment last season ended against UConn in the Sweet 16. A big chunk of the roster still had eligibility left, and a strong recruiting class was on the way.
The one glaring need was at center after losing Carson Cooper and Jaxon Kohler, both of whom gave MSU real production at the five last year. Kohler is now at BYU for his fifth year, though it sounds like he might have stayed in East Lansing if the NCAA had adopted its new 5-for-5 rule in March instead of June.
Michigan State explored the transfer market heavily, but the biggest names never wound up in green and white. Aiden Sherrell, the Detroit native MSU recruited hard out of high school, was among the top players in the portal after putting up 11.1 points and 6.2 rebounds per game at Alabama.
He ended up at Indiana, and that might have been the point where the Spartans decided the price was too steep - On3 reported Sherrell’s NIL deal from IU is in the $4 million range. That would likely be more than anyone on the MSU roster is making this season, with Jeremy Fears Jr. as the only real possible exception.
SMU transfer Samet Yigitoglu was another name tied to Michigan State before he also landed at Indiana. Washington transfer Franck Kepnang ended up at Kentucky, while Charleston transfer Christian Reeves went to Kansas.
That left Anton Bonke as what looked like the cleanest fit. The Charlotte transfer brought a 7-foot-2 frame, decent athleticism and the kind of trajectory Michigan State likes to bet on - he’s improved in each of his three college seasons, and he wasn’t going to cost anything close to the massive NIL number attached to some of the other portal centers. When he committed, it seemed fair to assume he’d be the starter.
That part has already become murkier.
Bonke has technically started two of MSU’s three preseason games, but the minutes have told a different story. He played 15 minutes in the Oct. 2 game against Incarnate Word, then only six against No.
4 UConn last Tuesday and three at Marquette on Sunday. Even more striking, he didn’t play at all in the second half against either UConn or Marquette.
“He just didn't seem as ready to play on a couple of things, but it wasn’t all his fault, too,” Izzo said after the Connecticut exhibition, discussing Bonke’s second-half benching. “There's no clarity yet, because we're one game and a half in. The clarity will come probably five games, seven games from now.”
Bonke’s early struggles have been noticeable, but not so severe that the sudden drop in playing time feels completely obvious. He hasn’t looked like a perfect answer at center, but he also hasn’t looked so lost that he should already be in the single-digit-minute range before the real season even starts.
There’s still time for that to change. If it doesn’t, though, the ripple effects could be significant.
A smaller Bonke role would put a lot more weight on Jesse McCulloch and Ethan Taylor, the other real center options Michigan State has. Cam Ward has also seen time at the five in a small-ball alignment during the exhibition slate.
So far, both McCulloch and Taylor have been encouraging. Taylor, one of the freshmen expected to matter this season, has shown passing feel on offense and enough size to matter around the rim defensively. McCulloch looks like a player whose confidence has finally caught up with his ability; the game appears to be slowing down for him, and he can give MSU stretch-four or stretch-five minutes.
But the ask would still be heavy. Taylor is a freshman with some raw edges, and McCulloch wasn’t in the regular playing group late last season.
If Bonke’s role stays limited, the Spartans may have to lean harder on the backcourt, too, with Fears, Jasiah Jervis and Jordan Scott taking on more. Fears is ready for that kind of burden, but Michigan State will need real steps forward from Jervis and Scott as well if the rotation is going to hold together.
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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 🡒]
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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
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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 🡒]