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Michigan State Basketball: 5 most painful recruiting misses under Tom Izzo

By Connor Muldowney

EAST LANSING, MI - JANUARY 24: Caleb Swanigan #50 of the Purdue Boilermakers post up Miles Bridges #22 of the Michigan State Spartans in the first half at the Breslin Center on January 24, 2017 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MI - JANUARY 24: Caleb Swanigan #50 of the Purdue Boilermakers post up Miles Bridges #22 of the Michigan State Spartans in the first half at the Breslin Center on January 24, 2017 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images) /
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TULSA, OK – MARCH 19: Josh Jackson #11 of the Kansas Jayhawks reacts against the Michigan State Spartans during the second round of the 2017 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at BOK Center on March 19, 2017 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
TULSA, OK – MARCH 19: Josh Jackson #11 of the Kansas Jayhawks reacts against the Michigan State Spartans during the second round of the 2017 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at BOK Center on March 19, 2017 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

2. Josh Jackson

Everyone knows about this recruitment because there was talk that Josh Jackson wanted to go to Michigan State and join a class with Miles Bridges, Cassius Winston, Josh Langford and Nick Ward as the best in the country and stay close to home but his mom wanted him to go elsewhere.

Even until his commitment date, the talk behind the scenes was that he wanted Michigan State while his family was pushing for Kansas.

Sometimes you just have to listen to mom, and that’s exactly what Jackson did.

Ranked the No. 1 overall player in the nation, Jackson would have been Tom Izzo’s highest-ranked commitment ever, but he spurned the green and white for the Jayhawks.

It hurt just a little more because Jackson was originally from Detroit and had relationships developed with Cassius and Bridges.

Jackson’s Jayhawks went on to beat Michigan State in the second round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament before he decided to be Kansas’ next one-and-done following the season.

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