Tom Izzo just wrapped up one of his biggest recruiting weekends in a while, hosting five-star point guard Antonio Pemberton and four-star center Jaydn Jenkins. And now the Michigan State basketball recruiting rumors are starting to really heat up.
The Spartans are hoping to land both guys, and Grind Week seems to have made a huge impression on at least one of them.
Joe Tipton reported some good news late on Thursday night, posting that the Spartans have emerged as favorites for a top-25 recruit in the 2027 class.
A Top-25 overall recruit is entering decision mode, and Michigan State has emerged as the favorite.
— Joe Tipton (@JoeTipton) September 15, 2026
The latest intel: https://t.co/4c4gohPd2M pic.twitter.com/CyDTSyYjQF
While his article is paywalled and you’ll need an On3 subscription to find out the details, deductive reasoning tells us that the top 25 recruit likely is Pemberton, a five-star from Hanover, Mass.
The recently-visited five-star point guard is the only target of Izzo’s that’s ranked in the top 25 of the 2027 class and Michigan State “emerging” as the favorite must mean that a new development happened which, in this case, would be his official visit. All signs are pointing to this being Pemberton and Michigan State taking the lead would be an absolutely massive development.
Pemberton is my favorite Michigan State target in the 2027 class and he is heavily sought after by programs like Tennessee, Kansas, Ohio State, UCLA, Creighton, Boston College, and Marquette. Those are the schools he scheduled official visits to, but with this recent update, there could be a cancelation of visits if Pemberton truly is entering decision mode.
That would mean that Ohio State, Boston College, and UCLA are in danger of having their visits canceled, assuming Pemberton is within a couple of weeks of making his decision official.
This is the recruit that many Spartan fans have at the top of their 2027 wish lists.
Pemberton is ranked the No. 23 overall recruit and No. 5 point guard in his class.
Tom Izzo may have found another great PG to carry the torch
Look at the list of point guards that Izzo has coached over the years and tell me that he’s not both an elite recruiter and spoiled beyond belief when it comes to players leading his team:
- Mateen Cleaves
- Marcus Taylor (we got one fun year)
- Drew Neitzel
- Kalin Lucas
- Travis Trice
- Denzel Valentine
- Cassius Winston
- Jeremy Fears Jr.
Soon we could add Carlos Medlock Jr. to that list because many, including myself, believe that he’s going to be Izzo’s great point guard after Jeremy Fears leaves. Following Medlock now could be a five-star in Pemberton who Adam Finkelstein calls “a scoring guard and tough shot-maker” and that he has “proven to be one of the only players in high school basketball capable of putting his team on his back and carrying them to wins”.
Talk about high praise. Pemberton may not be the biggest guy, but he can put his team on his back and carry them to wins with his impressive offensive skill set.
The embarrassment of riches that Michigan State has had at the point guard position is going to continue, if the rumors are true. Imagine Izzo follows up Pemberton with Mateen Cleaves Jr. in 2028. That would give him Fears, Medlock, Pemberton, and Cleaves in succession which is just not fair for the rest of college basketball.
The Spartans may be on commit watch with the five-star from Massachussetts.
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