Tom Izzo’s early offer to Asa Montgomery always stood out. Michigan State doesn’t hand out scholarship offers lightly, and when the Spartans jumped in on the top-30 small forward from Powder Springs, Ga., it looked like a real statement from a coach who usually knows exactly where he stands before making a move.
A month later, though, the path appears to be closing fast.
Montgomery, who has drawn attention from Arizona, Kentucky, UConn, Louisville, North Carolina, Florida, Houston, Alabama, Texas Tech, Duke and Michigan, has now released his fall official visit schedule, and Michigan State is not on it. According to the latest report, his planned trips run from Aug. 28 through the weekend of Oct. 30 and include LSU, Florida, UConn, Providence, North Carolina, Arizona and Louisville.
That matters because the obvious windows Spartans fans might have hoped for are already spoken for. Grind Week, which usually lands around the first week of October, is tied up by UConn, while Michigan State Madness is set to overlap with Duke. That leaves fewer obvious openings for the Spartans to make their case.
There is still one possible lane. Oct. 9 is open, and that would line up with Michigan State’s Homecoming weekend, when the football team hosts Illinois. If the Spartans could get Montgomery on campus then, it would be a meaningful swing.
But this recruitment has never really felt like a sure thing for Michigan State, and it still doesn’t. The visits that have been announced point to a battle with some of the biggest programs in the country, and Izzo may be better off directing his attention elsewhere. Names like Antonio Pemberton, Joshua Tyson, Jaxson Davis, and the trio of centers Michigan State has offered could now be more realistic targets.
Montgomery was a long shot from the start. With this visit schedule, the Spartans may be able to move on - unless a surprise visit changes everything.
In Other News...
Michigan State's New Identity Could Show Up Fast This Season
With a new head coach, a mostly new staff and a roster that looks far different from a year ago, Michigan State is entering the season with a reset few teams get in back-to-back years. The clearest sign of where this could go came with the hiring of offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan and the expectation that the Spartans will lean into a run-first approach, one that fits the personnel on hand and gives the offense a more defined identity early.
On the other side of the ball, Joe Rossi is the holdover who offers some continuity, but even that unit could look different if the pass rush starts doing its part. If it does, the secondary may be able to play with more aggression and create a sharper edge for a defense that will need to find answers quickly while the rest of the program sorts through so much change. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Just Made Michigan States Title Path Look Even Harder
Kentuckys latest transfer addition gives the NCAA Tournament picture another layer of intrigue, and it is the kind of move that always gets noticed in East Lansing. Mark Mitchell, who has already spent time at Duke and Missouri, was granted a fifth year of eligibility and is now headed to Kentucky, adding another experienced piece to a roster that is already being built to win right away.
For Michigan State, it is another reminder that the road through March rarely gets any easier. Tom Izzo has spent enough seasons navigating the bracket to know how quickly a contender can turn into a headache, and Kentuckys aggressive roster-building only raises the level of competition the Spartans may have to clear if they want to make a deep run next spring. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Has A Few Final Camp Battles Fans Need To Watch
The final week of fall camp is giving several Michigan State players one last chance to push their way into bigger roles before the season opener, and the pressure is spread across both sides of the ball. At receiver, KK Smith and Fredrick Moore are among the names worth watching as the Spartans sort out their options, while tight end Brennan Parachek is also trying to turn a strong camp into a more secure spot in the rotation.
On the defensive line, Derrick Simmons has an opportunity of his own to keep climbing the depth chart, and that makes these next few practices especially important for a staff still trying to settle on reliable pieces. For a team looking to enter the season with some clarity, these camp battles are less about headline-grabbing drama than they are about who can show enough consistency to earn real snaps when the games count. [Read more 🡒]