Tom Izzo didn’t bury the lede Thursday when he met with the media ahead of Michigan State’s 2026-27 season. The Hall of Fame coach pointed first to Jordan Scott and Jesse McCulloch as the two “most improved” players in the program, and that kind of offseason leap only pushes an already-loaded roster even higher.
McCulloch, according to Spartans Illustrated, has “improved his athleticism” and put in the work after others had already headed home. He’s shown he can knock down shots, and he’s also helping lift the level of the players around him.
Scott, meanwhile, drew the kind of brief mention that says plenty on its own. He’s being projected by some experts as an NBA prospect this year, and Izzo didn’t need to elaborate much after putting him on that list.
That duo matters because Michigan State already had a high-end foundation in place. Coen Carr and Jeremy Fears Jr. return with legitimate All-Big Ten first-team potential, and then the Spartans layer in a top-five incoming freshman class. Add the underclassmen who took a clear step forward, and the roster starts to look like the kind that can chase a national title.
The evidence showed up again in the exhibition opener against Incarnate Word, where McCulloch led all scorers and Scott also flashed like a player ready for a bigger stage. Neither performance should come as a shock given the praise coming from inside the program.
Cam Ward is part of that picture too. His development has been slowed somewhat by an injury, but he had been in line to start at forward before needing to nurse an ankle issue.
Strip it down, and the formula is simple: a strong point guard in Jeremy Fears Jr., a valuable second star in Coen Carr, improved underclassmen in McCulloch, Scott and Ward, useful role players like Kur Teng, Kaleb Glenn and Anton Bonke, and a loaded freshman group. Mix in Izzo’s résumé - a national title and eight Final Fours - and Michigan State has every ingredient it needs to win it all.
In Other News...
Michigan State Heads Into Northwestern With A Defensive Concern Fans Can't Ignore
Michigan States trip to Northwestern comes with an early look at the kind of injury report that can shape a Saturday before the ball is even kicked. The two teams released their initial availability reports, and the Spartans were hit harder on defense, where they are notably thin at cornerback and linebacker heading into the matchup.
There is at least a bit of relief in the update for Michigan State, with NiJhay Burt and Dion Crawford expected back in the lineup. Northwesterns report carries its own uncertainty, with tight end Luke Dehnicke and safety Robert Fitzgerald among the notable players listed as questionable or doubtful, but the Spartans will still be watching closely to see whether their defensive depth can hold up when the game arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Faces A Northwestern Problem Fans Havent Seen In Years
Northwestern is bringing a look Michigan State does not see very often, and it comes at a time when the Spartans are still sorting out how they want to handle a Big Ten opponent with some old-school flavor. Under new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, the Wildcats have mixed in wing-T formations and receiver alignments that force defenses to process a lot at once, which makes the week as much about eye discipline and alignment as it is about tackling and leverage.
The challenge lands in a game with a few added layers of intrigue, too. Aidan Chiles is set to return to Spartan Stadium, and Michigan State head coach Pat Fitzgerald will be lining up against his former team, giving the matchup a familiar backdrop even as the scheme on the other side looks anything but familiar. For the Spartans, the question is whether they can sort through the unusual looks quickly enough to keep Northwestern from turning a strange offensive plan into a real problem. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Suddenly Has A Depth Problem At The Worst Time
Michigan State is running into the kind of midseason injury pileup every team dreads, and it is arriving at an awkward moment. Heading into Week 7 against Northwestern, the Spartans are dealing with a long list of unavailable players on both sides of the ball, leaving the staff to patch together a lineup that has already taken on plenty of wear.
The problems reach across the roster, with top cornerbacks Tre Bell and Charles Brantley out, linebackers Jordan Hall and Brady Pretzlaff sidelined, running back Cam Edwards unavailable and backup quarterback Cam Fancher also not expected to go. That means Michigan State will have to lean hard on depth pieces just to stay afloat against a Northwestern team led by former Spartan quarterback Aidan Chiles, turning what should have been a routine October week into a test of survival. [Read more 🡒]