Monday is a big day in the recruitment of former blue-chip recruit and Alabama transfer Aiden Sherrell as he’s wrapping up a visit with Indiana. Tom Izzo and Michigan State are firmly in the mix here and the fit just makes all the sense in the world.
Michigan State needs a big-bodied center who can stretch the floor and who’s a willing defender, and Sherrell fits that description perfectly.
Oh, and he already has a good relationship with Izzo and he’s from Detroit. The familiarity and potential proximity to home could also be huge selling points.
But there’s still a chance that Michigan State misses out on him. If the Spartans miss out, here are three more transfer bigs that they could target.
1. Anton Bonke, C, Charlotte
There has been some talk about Michigan State being interested in 7-foot-2 Charlotte big man Anton Bonke. He has a strong frame at 270 pounds as well and he looks like a potential future pro and he’s currently testing the NBA draft waters.
Bonke is ranked as the No. 124 overall transfer in the portal by 247Sports and he’s also the 16th-best center. He has the frame that could make him a problem in the Big Ten — very Aday Mara-like.
Bonke averaged 10.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game as a junior with Charlotte, and he even shot a little under 35 percent from three. He’d be a great floor-stretching big who can rim protect but also needs to improve a little in that regard.
2. Samet Yigitoglu, C, SMU
Rumors are swirling that Michigan State might be out on SMU transfer Samet Yigitoglu, but I think that if Izzo misses out on Sherrell, he will try to get back in and make a move before a program like South Carolina locks him up.
The 7-foot-2, 270-pound center from Turkey would be a great fit considering he’s a huge body and he moves pretty well for his size. As a sophomore, he averaged 10.7 points and 7.9 rebounds to go along with 1.3 blocks. He shot 62.8% from the field, but he doesn’t stretch the floor, shooting just 1-for-6 from three over two seasons with SMU. That’s really the only reservation there.
3. Moustapha Thiam, C, Cincinnati
I haven’t heard Michigan State — or really anyone — mentioned in regard to Cincinnati center transfer Moustapha Thiam who I immediately fell in love with as a player when he hit the portal.
Thiam was a top-50 prospect in the 2024 class out of Senegal before he committed to UCF before transferring to Cincinnati as a sophomore. He averaged 12.8 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game as a sophomore, but he has the potential to be an elite rim protector, averaging 2.6 blocks per game in 28.7 minutes as a freshman with UCF.
I’m not seeing enough people talking about Thiam, but I think this would be a great fit.
Update: Izzo and MSU have reportedly reached out to Thiam.