Michigan State basketball locks in visit with elite 5-star C Francis Chukwudebelu

A couple of weeks ago on Draymond Green’s podcast, he brought Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo on to talk about life, basketball, and his future as a coach.

The two talked about the past with a fun story about how Izzo knows that Draymond got fouled by Gordon Hayward in the Final Four game which should have sent the Spartans to the title game and they also touched on how the Hall of Fame coach is rejuvenated and looking and feeling the best he has in years.

Every time I hear recruiting news about Michigan State, that statement makes more and more sense. Izzo just landed the best recruiting class he’s had in at least five years for 2023, headlined by Xavier Booker, and he’s hard at work on the 2024 and 2025 cycles.

On Monday, Jake Weingarten reported that the Spartans are getting a huge visit from a five-star center in the 2025 class.

Michigan State basketball locks in visit with Francis Chukwudebelu

Michigan State is getting a visit from Francis Chukwudebelu on Oct. 15-16 just a day after he takes a trip to Lawrence to see Kansas.

Chukwudebelu still obviously has a long way to go before he gets to campus, but this will be a huge recruitment for the Spartans because big men have been hard to come by in recent years.

Booker is coming in the 2023 class, but there’s a good chance he’ll be at least a two-and-done and likely a one-and-done player. He’s the No. 1 recruit in the country and the top recruit that Izzo has ever landed. He will likely be gone by the time Chukwudebelu is in college.

The Plano, Texas, product stands 6-foot-10 and 220 pounds and he hasn’t even come close to filling out his frame as a sophomore. He figures to be a monster by the time he’s a freshman. He’s ranked the No. 25 prospect in the country and the third-best center in the 2025 class, per 247Sports.

Michigan State being one of two schools to get a visit this early is huge.