Michigan State’s final day of September packed in a little bit of everything: recruiting momentum, a cautious injury decision, and one of the stranger Big Ten coaching comments you’ll hear all week.
The biggest news came with Tom Izzo and his recruiting class. After speaking to the media following one of his team’s final practices before Friday’s exhibition game against Incarnate Word, Izzo said he felt good about the group he was building. A few hours later, Michigan State landed a commitment from four-star center Jaydn Jenkins out of Pennsylvania.
Jenkins checks in as the No. 60 overall recruit in the class and becomes the second Spartan pledge in 2027, joining five-star point guard Antonio Pemberton. There’s already been talk that Izzo may be looking at a two-man class, and if that’s where things end, the Hall of Famer would have done well to come away with two top-60 prospects, including one five-star.
Jenkins is viewed as a bit of a project on offense, but the appeal is obvious. He brings length, athleticism and the kind of rim-running, defensive-minded profile Izzo tends to love. In other words, he sounds like a clean fit for what Michigan State usually wants from a big man.
Izzo also appears to be done well with Grind Week. He landed both of his visitors, and the timing on Jenkins’ commitment only added to the haul.
On the court, Michigan State will be without Cam Ward for Friday’s scrimmage against Incarnate Word. Izzo did not go into detail, but the move is expected to be precautionary.
Ward sprained his ankle last month and was seen in a walking boot during Grind Week. There’s no indication it’s a major issue, and this feels like a simple case of not taking chances. Michigan State doesn’t need him in a game that doesn’t count, so there’s no reason to push him back too soon and risk making things worse.
With Ward sidelined, redshirt sophomore Jesse McCulloch will step in as the starting power forward. It’s a chance he’s been waiting on, and now he gets it against Incarnate Word.
Elsewhere in the Big Ten, Minnesota coach PJ Fleck produced another viral moment, and Pat Fitzgerald had plenty to say about it. After Minnesota’s upset win over Washington, Fleck wiped blood off one of his players’ faces and smeared it on his own. Fitzgerald reacted to that on his weekly radio show and made clear he wanted no part of it.
“I’ll give blood but I ain’t touching blood,” he said. “That was the grossest thing I’ve ever seen.”
Fleck’s antics have a way of getting attention, and this one spread fast. Fitzgerald’s comment only added to the conversation around a clip that was already making the rounds. For Michigan State, though, the more relevant takeaway is that Izzo is handling his roster and recruiting in a way that keeps the Spartans moving forward while other Big Ten headlines keep getting weirder by the hour.
In Other News...
Michigan State Soccer Is Getting National Respect For A Big Reason
Michigan States womens soccer program is drawing national attention in a familiar way for a team built on consistency and senior leadership. Kennedy Bell and Kayla Briggs were both named to the 2026 Hermann Trophy Mid-Season Watch List, putting two Spartans among 30 NCAA Division I standouts recognized by the Intercollegiate Womens Soccer Organization for Coaches and United Soccer Coaches.
For Michigan State, the double selection says plenty about how far the program has come and how central those seniors have been to the seasons early momentum. The watch list will be trimmed later to semifinalists and finalists, so Bell and Briggs still have work ahead if they want to stay in the conversation as one of college soccers top individual honors. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State's Newest Commit Could Fill A Major Long Term Need
Michigan State added a major piece to its 2027 basketball recruiting class with the commitment of Jaydn Jenkins, a four-star center from Archbishop Wood High School in Pennsylvania. Jenkins, who is ranked 60th overall in his class and rated the top prospect in Pennsylvania, gives the Spartans an early anchor in the frontcourt and another sign that the staff is targeting long-term size in a class that could matter down the road.
What makes Jenkins especially intriguing is the way his game fits a need Michigan State has been trying to address. His defensive potential and long wingspan point toward real value as a rim protector, the kind of interior presence that can change possessions even before he becomes a finished product. For a program that always values toughness and defense, landing a center with that profile this early gives the Spartans something to build around. [Read more 🡒]
Izzo Takes A Clear Stand On College Sports Chaos
As Tom Izzo talked with reporters about the coming college basketball season, he made clear where he stands on the wider mess surrounding the sport. The Michigan State coach backed a federal bill that would create NCAA guardrails, including revenue sharing and tighter rules on transfers, as pressure continues to build around how college athletics should be governed.
The legislation, known as the PCSA, has already cleared the Senate and now waits on a House vote after drawing support from a range of sports figures and organizations. Michigan senators voted for it as well, and if the bill gets through the next step, it would move on to President Trump for approval, keeping Izzo's comments squarely in the middle of a debate that could reshape the sport around him. [Read more 🡒]