Michigan State’s 2027 recruiting board is starting to take shape, and one name is rising fast: five-star small forward Jordan Page.
Tom Izzo has already handed out offers to four-stars Jadyn Jenkins, Jaxson Davis, Antonio Pemberton, and Joshua Tyson over the past month or so, while also keeping tabs on other 2027 targets such as Kamsi Awaka and Asa Montgomery. Now Page has moved into the conversation as the top-ranked player on Izzo’s board, at least for the moment.
According to Corey Robinson of 247Sports, Izzo has “firmly” added Awaka and Page to his board, and an offer is expected for both soon. Robinson also reported that Izzo has been at several of Awaka’s and Page’s games this week, a clear sign both prospects are squarely on Michigan State’s radar. Izzo doesn’t usually invest that kind of time unless he’s serious about either offering or building a real relationship with the player.
Page checks in as the No. 10 recruit in the 2027 class and the No. 2 small forward out of Raleigh, N.C. That kind of profile is always going to draw heavy traffic from the bluebloods, and this recruitment is no different.
Duke, North Carolina, and NC State are all expected to be involved, though Duke has not offered yet. North Carolina and NC State, meanwhile, are already pushing hard.
The list of schools that have already offered Page is loaded: Baylor, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, and UCLA are all in the mix. Michigan State getting involved could matter, especially if Izzo keeps pressing behind the scenes the way he often does.
Page hasn’t said much publicly about the Spartans lately, but Robinson believes Michigan State is very much in the hunt and that an offer could come soon. That fits Izzo’s usual style - quiet work, steady pressure, and not a lot of noise until the timing is right.
If Michigan State were to land the kind of 2027 class that really pops, Page would be the wing piece to pair with Davis at point guard and Jenkins at center. A three-man haul like that would turn heads in a hurry.
The Spartans still have plenty of ground to cover based on Page’s recent interviews, but it’s early, and Izzo clearly wouldn’t be spending this much time if there weren’t some mutual interest. If next offseason brings departures from Fears, Carr, and one other Spartan, adding Page, Davis, and Jenkins would be about as close to ideal as it gets.
For now, Michigan State is firmly in the chase, and Page is a name to watch.
In Other News...
MSU May Be Zeroing In On A Familiar AD Candidate
As Michigan State works through its athletic director search, one name that keeps surfacing is Dan Bartholomae, the current AD at Western Michigan. Bartholomae has built a reputation in Kalamazoo as a steady department leader with a willingness to make hard calls, and his rsum also includes time as an executive deputy AD and chief operating officer at Oregon State, giving him a broader Power 5 background than many candidates in this mix.
The appeal for MSU is obvious: Bartholomae has shown he can manage change and help push a department forward, which is exactly the kind of profile schools tend to chase in a search like this. The wrinkle is that he is under contract at WMU through 2031, so any serious pursuit would have to navigate a significant buyout, even with Kentucky buyout money potentially helping offset the cost. [Read more 🡒]
Carson Cooper Just Gave Spartan Fans A Real Reason To Watch Memphis
Carson Cooper gave Michigan State fans a little summer league reason to keep one eye on Memphis, even if the box score came in a losing effort. The former Spartan big man came off the bench in the NBA Summer League Championship and made his presence felt with activity on both ends, showing the kind of energy that has helped him stay on the radar since leaving East Lansing.
Memphis has every reason to keep investing in his development, too, because Cooper looks like the sort of frontcourt piece who can carve out a role with time. He is not the finished product yet, but his performance in the title game only added to the sense that the Grizzlies have found a player worth watching closely as he continues to grow. [Read more 🡒]
AJ Hoggard Just Gave Michigan State Fans That Same Old Feeling
AJ Hoggard has been easy for Michigan State fans to remember because he always seemed to bring the same blend of poise, vision and frustration. He was a valuable playmaker in East Lansing, the kind of guard who could organize an offense and keep teammates involved, but his college run also came with the kind of scoring swings that never let him settle into one clean storyline.
Now, after finishing his college career at Vanderbilt and getting a look in NBA Summer League with Toronto, Hoggard is still searching for that next level of consistency. The passing touch is still there, and so is the feel that made him such a familiar presence for the Spartans, but the shot has remained the part of his game that keeps the bigger question open as he tries to carve out a professional role. [Read more 🡒]