News broke on Friday afternoon that an injunction was filed in the state of California on behalf of several 2022 class college basketball players who are seeking a potential fifth year of eligibility. That injunction included a familiar name for Michigan State fans: Jaxon Kohler.
Although there’s a chance that nothing comes from this, there’s a non-zero chance that Kohler is playing college basketball next season.
If the latter does happen, would it be at Michigan State?
That’s the million-dollar question on everyone’s minds now that it’s been made public that Kohler could be seeking a fifth year. Judging by how Tom Izzo has attacked his roster construction this offseason, I just don’t see him looking at his alma mater all that favorably when choosing his fifth-year destination. Again, this is all under the assumption that he pursues it.
Michigan State addressed the needs in the post with Anton Bonke from the transfer portal and both Ethan Taylor and Julius Avent from the 2026 recruiting class. That’s not even mentioning Kaleb Glenn who returns from a season-long injury absence after transferring over from FAU last offseason.
The minutes in the post would be severely limited, especially when you consider that Cam Ward has been a breakout star at Moneyball this summer, averaging 31 points per game over four outings, out-scoring all Spartan players at the event. The four would be even more competitive.
Is that a bad thing? Absolutely not, but I doubt that it’s a situation that Kohler would consider ideal when pondering a fifth year of college basketball.
He could realistically come back, pick a new program, and make life-changing NIL money. I’m not saying that Michigan State couldn’t offer him a competitive NIL deal, but he would be splitting minutes with a few guys at the four. Pursuing a national title might just be worth it, though.
What are the chances of a Jaxon Kohler return?
To Michigan State? I’d say the chances are under 25 percent. To college basketball, I’d say they’re around 50 percent. Maybe I’m being too harsh on Michigan State’s chances, but I just don’t see him wanting to split time with Ward, Avent, Glenn, and sometimes Carr at the four unless he also happened to spend some time playing the five, too.
I wouldn’t hold my breath because we don’t even know if he’s interested in coming back now that he’s already played a few Summer League games and he signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the NBA team that he grew up rooting for.
Kohler has a big decision to make if the ruling goes in the favor of the players named on the injunction in California. If he does get that fifth year, he’ll have to either prioritize potential life-changing NIL money or a national title pursuit. Who knows, maybe Michigan State can give him both.
Fans would love him back, but be prepared for the possibility of him wearing a different uniform.
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