The 2026-27 Big Ten schedule just got a whole lot more interesting for Tom Izzo and Michigan State, and I’m not talking about the newly-released home and away slates.
I’m actually talking about the fact that a Big Ten program just added a popular former assistant coach under Tom Izzo.
The Spartans now know who they’ll be playing at home and on the road next season, but they also found out that one of those Big Ten opponents will now feature a former Izzo assistant. The coaching dynamic in the Big Ten changed a little bit on Tuesday afternoon with Penn State’s reported hiring of Dwayne Stephens.
The news comes a couple of months after Stephens was let go by Western Michigan after a rather forgettable run at head coach in Kalamazoo.
Penn State has hired Dwayne Stephens as an assistant coach.
— Matt Fortuna (@Matt_Fortuna) May 12, 2026
Stephens was the head coach at Western Michigan for the past four years and spent 19 years on Tom Izzo’s Michigan State staff before that.
Stephens was one of the most beloved assistant coaches under Izzo for years and many believed that he took the Western Michigan job in order to build up that resume before taking over for the Hall of Famer when he eventually retired. Unfortunately, his stint at Western Michigan didn’t go as planned, going 42-84 over four seasons, never winning more than 12 games.
Before Western Michigan, he was a big man whisperer. He was a main reason for Michigan State’s success in the post with guys like Jaren Jackson Jr., Xavier Tillman, and Nick Ward learning from him before he left East Lansing.
There was even chatter that he might return to the Spartans’ coaching staff after spending time with the team during their NCAA Tournament run to the Sweet 16.
Now he’s going to be in Happy Valley with a Big Ten foe.
Spartan fans would love Dwayne Stephens back — as an assistant
When Stephens left for Western Michigan, everyone believed that he would be returning to East Lansing eventually. Unfortunately, that 42-84 stint in Kalamazoo led to his name being removed from the “potential Izzo replacements” list.
While Stephens may do much better with more resources at Michigan State, I just don’t think he’d even be considered unless he were to take over another job and prove himself.
Starting at Penn State and potentially earning a smaller head coaching job after that would be an ideal situation for him, but Spartan fans want him back as an assistant. When he was spending time around the team while Saddi Washington was rumored as a candidate for Stephens’ old job, there was talk about him replacing the coach who replaces him. Since Saddi stayed, that was no longer the case.
There will be more assistants to leave Michigan State in the future for other jobs, so if that does happen while Izzo is still around, don’t be shocked if he’s poached from Happy Valley.
Stephens will return to East Lansing next season — as a Nittany Lion.
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