Tom Izzo doesn’t hand out praise like candy, which is why his words about Ethan Taylor landed with extra weight.
The Michigan State coach has spent the last two years managing expectations around former five-star big man Xavier Booker, who was frequently criticized for an uneven motor and questions about whether he was tough enough for the Big Ten. Izzo kept the bar measured, and Booker eventually moved on to UCLA, where he showed he could handle the league.
That’s part of what makes Izzo’s tone on Taylor stand out. The freshman center is being talked about differently - not as a long-term project, but as a player who has already forced himself into the conversation.
On Thursday, Izzo said something about Taylor that he never said about Booker during Booker’s time in East Lansing: he singled out the true freshman’s motor.
Izzo says 5-star freshman C Ethan Taylor has been a surprise so far for MSU, likes his quickness and reach but "as always with most big guys, the motor's gotta keep going." Says Taylor "is making some serious progress in that area."
- Chris Solari (@chrissolari) October 15, 2026
For a Michigan State program that has seen its share of big men with NBA talent but shaky energy levels, that kind of comment matters. Motor isn’t a flashy trait, but in East Lansing, it’s close to everything. It’s the difference between a center who looks the part and one who actually changes the game.
That’s why the comparison to the recent crop of Spartan bigs is so revealing. Carson Cooper, Jaxon Kohler when he played center, Xavier Tillman, Derrick Nix, Nick Ward, and Adreian Payne all shared that edge.
Three reached the NBA, and another could be there next year. Some of them had run-ins with Izzo, but none of them backed away from the fight.
If Taylor can develop that same mindset, the upside becomes obvious.
The buzz around him has already shifted the internal race at center. Early looks from Michigan State’s semi-public practice suggested Anton Bonke was running with the first group, and some observers thought Taylor might beat out the Charlotte transfer. Right now, though, the veteran appears to have the edge.
Still, Bonke being first in line doesn’t lock anything in.
He has looked more like a Szymon Zapala-type - useful, solid, but not necessarily the kind of player who transforms the position. Taylor, by contrast, has drawn attention as someone who could tilt the balance of a game.
That’s why Izzo’s latest comments matter so much. If the coach is already talking about Taylor as a surprise and praising the progress of his motor, the freshman is clearly moving in the right direction.
Bonke is likely to start the season, and probably through the biggest non-conference games. But Taylor taking over by Big Ten play would not be a shock. And if Bonke keeps the job beyond that, it may say more about the veteran outperforming expectations than about Taylor falling short.
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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 🡒]