Tom Izzo keeps adding names to his 2027 point guard board, and the latest one comes with plenty of buzz.
On Sunday night, Michigan State offered Antonio Pemberton, a top-40 point guard from Massachusetts. He’s the newest guard to hear from Izzo after the Spartans previously extended offers to four-star combo guard Joshua Tyson and four-star point guard Jaxson Davis over the past few weeks.
Pemberton’s reaction fit the pattern. Like the other guards who’ve landed on Michigan State’s radar, he pointed to Izzo’s history of developing NBA talent and “a lot of good guards,” and said “it’s a blessing” to hear the Hall of Famer speak highly of his game.
Michigan State offers high profile 2027 guard Antonio Pemberton..
"(Izzo) has coached a lot of NBA players and a lot of good guards, so it's a blessing hearing him say that he thinks I'm pretty good."
(On3+): https://t.co/poVLfMLmg3 pic.twitter.com/zd5mpOuj3a
- Jason Killop (@JasonKillop) July 13, 2026
That kind of response isn’t surprising. Izzo’s guard pipeline has become part of the pitch, and Michigan State just watched Jase Richardson move on after a season under him. There’s also a growing belief that Jasiah Jervis and Jeremy Fears Jr. are next in line, with Jordan Scott another name who could eventually join that group of Spartan guards headed for the NBA.
Pemberton’s recruitment is already heating up beyond East Lansing, too. The No. 1 player from Massachusetts is listed as a Utah lean on his 247Sports profile, but that may not hold for long with more heavyweight programs jumping in. Auburn, Michigan State, UCLA, and Kansas have all offered within the last month.
For Michigan State, the fit is obvious. Pemberton would give the Spartans another high-end option at a position where Izzo has clearly made recruiting a priority. But there’s also a real question hanging over the roster construction: size.
Jeremy Fears Jr. is the exception because he plays bigger than he looks, brings a nasty edge, and doesn’t shy away from tough defensive matchups. Even so, Carlos Medlock Jr. is listed at just 5-foot-11 and 165 pounds, while Pemberton checks in at 6-foot-1 and 165 pounds. Both still have time to add strength, but Medlock is unlikely to grow much, if at all, and Pemberton would be the biggest point guard on the roster at 6-foot-1.
That’s not nothing in the Big Ten.
Plenty of teams are leaning into size at the point, and Izzo may continue bucking that trend. If the guards are talented enough, it won’t matter much. But the image of 6-foot-0, 175-pound Foster Loyer getting pushed around at Michigan State is still hard to shake.
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