Friday was an important night for the Michigan State basketball program.
Midnight Madness and the Izzone Campout are the unofficial start to the season, and Michigan State fans showed up in droves to catch the reigning Big Ten champs in action.
One of the best Spartan traditions could help Tom Izzo land some of his top targets in the 2026 recruiting class. Yes, I’m talking about Ethan Taylor.
While recruiting was on everyone’s minds heading into Midnight Madness, fans didn’t forget about the scrimmage that usually takes place along with Izzo’s costume festivities. This year, he came out of a drum after being introduced to the Breslin Center crowd on the big screen by Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell.
Campbell wasn’t the only Detroit sports legend to show support for Izzo and the Spartans for their upcoming season, but Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman, and Pistons head coach JB Bickerstaff also appeared in a good luck video that was displayed on the jumbotron.
Some Spartan legends, too, appeared in the video compilation.
Nothing like MSU pic.twitter.com/EgqPTp7ERv
— Michigan State Content (@msucontent) October 4, 2025
We saw everyone from Skubal, Campbell, Yzerman, and Bickerstaff to Max Christie, Malik Hall, Jase Richardson, and Mateen Cleaves. Seeing all these different athletes and pro sports personalities show support for Izzo and the Spartans was unexpected, but one of the best Midnight Madness moments that I can remember.
Pro athletes and coaches from around the state respect Izzo enough to share their support for his program, and former players took the time to send in videos, too.
Midnight Madness didn’t disappoint — and it never does.