Tom Izzo lost out on Aiden Sherrell and Samet Yigitoglu to Indiana this week, but the Michigan State head coach still has some options for that center position.
Although the quality transfer centers are few and far between, Michigan State has been in on a few big-time guys like Yigitoglu, Sherrell, and Cincinnati's Moustapha Thiam. Anton Bonke has also been an option as well as a distant Plan C option like Mount St. Mary's big man Luke McEldon as a backup center.
The latter was on campus a couple of weeks ago and there were rumors that Michigan State was showing some interest, but I just don't think he was ever the starting option at center.
Still, McEldon was an option nonetheless and would have been a good emergency route kind of transfer if Michigan State whiffed on everyone else.
Well, that emergency option is no longer available as a Big Ten program scooped McEldon up. According to Sam Kayser, the Mount St. Mary's big man decided to transfer to Northwestern on Wednesday evening, and like Sherrell and Yigitoglu, he's going to face Michigan State next season in Big Ten play.
McEldon, a native of London, England, started his career at Santa Clara where he played sparingly over two seasons, appearing in just 14 games. He transferred to Mount St. Mary's ahead of the 2025-26 season and averaged 25.6 minutes and starting all but one game. He shot an efficient 64.5% from the floor while averaging 11.7 points and 6.2 rebounds, but he never made a three and shot 42 percent from the free throw line.
I think Michigan State fans are OK with him not being the 2026-27 team's primary center option. He would be a nice backup, but he no longer on the board.
Michigan State's options are limited
With Sherrell, Yigitoglu, and McEldon all off the board already, Izzo and Michigan State will be turning their focus to Bonke and likely turning up the pressure.
In a perfect world at this point, Michigan State would land Bonke over the likes of Kansas, USC, NC State, Arkansas, and Gonzaga while also returning Carson Cooper for a fifth year. That's unlikely to happen given that the NCAA has yet to rule anything about a fifth year, and I doubt it would apply to seniors this year if it is approved.
Basically, Izzo has to go all-in on Bonke or throw a bag at Thiam if he wants a realistic shot at national title No. 2 in Detroit next spring.
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