Tom Izzo has to be absolutely beside himself with how poorly things have gone through the first week of the transfer portal and with one week to go before it closes.
The legendary Michigan State head coach has reportedly been right there in the mix for Aiden Sherrell, but it sounds like the Alabama big man took the offer that Indiana hit him with and wouldn't let him leave Bloomington without a commitment.
But that wasn't the only surprising Darian DeVries recruiting win over the Hall of Famer.
Hours after it was rumored that Sherrell was essentially a done deal to Indiana, the Hoosiers picked up another major commitment from a guy that Michigan State was reportedly looking into as a backup option for the Alabama transfer. Indiana picked up a commitment from SMU's Samet Yigitoglu which shocked just about everyone because the Hoosiers weren't even mentioned in his recruitment.
Most experts saw Yigitoglu going to South Carolina, but there were rumors that Michigan State was going to jump back into the mix and reach out again. That's no longer the case.
DeVries currently has Izzo in a transfer recruiting chokehold, and the Spartan head coach has to figure out a way to shake it and get back on track with a transfer center addition of his own.
Where does Tom Izzo go from here?
There are a few things that Izzo can do if he misses out on Sherrell right after watching one of his backup options also commit to Indiana, and it has to start with throwing a bag at Moustapha Thiam (my dream scenario), or circling back to Anton Bonke while also trying to get Carson Cooper's eligibility figured out.
In case you missed it, earlier on Tuesday, Cooper told Matt Sheehan of Locked On Spartans that he would entertain the idea of a fifth year if the NCAA made allowed it. Any Spartan fan would be just fine with missing on portal centers if that meant Cooper was back for a fifth year.
Right now, however, that feels like a long shot considering Izzo needs to figure out the transfer portal situation by next week when the window closes.
The Hall of Famer is likely feeling the pressure to land an elite big and I think he still has a chance to add a plus starter at the center spot. Or bring back Cooper. We'll gladly take either one.
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