Jaxon Kohler has had a busy offseason following his senior year at Michigan State that began with going through the draft process following a heartbreaking Sweet 16 loss to UConn.
The Spartan fan favorite eventually went undrafted and then signed with the Utah Jazz's Summer League team. There, he played well alongside Darryn Peterson, but then his name popped up in an injunction filed in the state of California. He was reportedly seeking a fifth year of college eligibility after the NCAA ruled that student-athletes can now all graduate in five years.
After a Colorado judge ruled that all 2022 class seniors who just graduated can return to college to play one final season, Kohler immediately expressed interest and even said a return to MSU was possible.
Unfortunately, Izzo shot that notion down, stating that he had already made decisions with his roster with the expectation that he would be done adding new players for 2026-27. He said that his roster was set and that even though he would love Kohler back, there wasn't room for him.
That led to Kohler looking elsewhere and he recently had a top four of Kansas, BYU, Kentucky, and Louisville, but he's reportedly down to two schools now and a decision is coming on Thursday.
Will it be Kentucky or BYU for Jaxon Kohler?
— KSR (@KSRonX) August 20, 2026
Sources tell @JackPilgrimKSR the Michigan State transfer is down to those two options, and a decision is expected TODAY. https://t.co/nroDemNEcM pic.twitter.com/700zCyOtqN
This is going to be a tough day for Spartan fans because a guy who bled green for four years and still bleeds it is going to be wearing blue next season for either BYU or Kentucky.
The best guess before he makes his decision official is BYU because of the proximity to home but Kentucky is still there for a reason. He could help Mark Pope bridge some roster gaps and get Kentucky back to where it belongs: atop the SEC.
Unfortunately, he's not going to pick Michigan State.
Remembering the Jaxon Kohler era at MSU
When Kohler committed to Michigan State, no one knew what to expect. He was nicknamed "Baby Jokic" and even had the attention of LeBron James during his recruitment, but he slowly eased into the rotation in East Lansing.
As a true freshman, he played just 10.8 minutes per game and put up 3.0 points and 2.9 rebounds. Fans were willing to give him a grace period to adjust to the college game, but he looked a step slow. That didn't get any better during his sophomore year when he missed the first part of the season with a foot injury and then really kind of struggled when he came back, averaging 2.0 points and 2.0 rebounds in 9.2 minutes over 21 games.
Kohler took a big leap during his junior year. Through his first two seasons, he attempted just five threes and made zero and was a measly 4-for-15 from the line. He then made 19-of-51 threes as a junior and shot 82.1% from the line while averaging career-bests 7.8 points and 7.5 rebounds for the Big Ten champion Spartans.
After becoming a fan favorite as a junior, he stuck around for his senior year and one-upped himself once again. He made 58 threes (seven more than the number of attempts he had as a junior) and shot 86.9% from the charity stripe while averaging 12.5 points and 8.9 rebounds.
The Utah-native became the most consistent player on the team not named Jeremy Fears Jr. and he helped lead Michigan State to another 25-plus win season.
Kohler was known for being an outspoken leader who exemplified what it meant to be an "OKG" under Izzo. He played exactly how Izzo would want his big men to play.
It's safe to say that he's going to be missed in East Lansing.
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