Tom Izzo’s main offseason roster construction every year seems to be one thing: don’t rock the boat. Sure, the Michigan State head coach would like to add the best talent, but if his guys don’t approve or if he feels like they wouldn’t mesh, he won’t target them.
So when Izzo targeted transfers like Franck Kepnang, Moustapha Thiam, Aiden Sherrell, Samet Yigitoglu, Christian Reeves, and Anton Bonke, he likely identified them as fits for his program (or OKGs).
Jeremy Fears Jr. and Coen Carr likely had a helping hand in the process, so when Bonke officially committed, you had to feel like the team had already approved.
Fears made his stamp of approval official on Twitter shortly after the news broke.
Big Anton https://t.co/SbF9vCtgCL
— Jeremy Fears jr. The Floor General (@jeremy_fears) April 22, 2026
Not only did he share the news on his Twitter account, welcoming him to the team, but he shared the Bonke commitment news on his Instagram story with a caption “Anton>>>”. For anyone who isn’t privy to this internet slang, that essentially means that he approves. Fears is a big fan of the transfer, and that’s good news because he’s going to need him for a title run.
When those two get on the same page, it might be wraps for the rest of the Big Ten.
Also, Fears’ excitement regarding the 2026-27 roster obviously doesn’t reflect a guy who’s planning on staying in the draft — for the 0.1% of fans still worried about that.
Although fans are still hoping for Carson Cooper’s return, the addition of Bonke makes Michigan State’s roster easily one of the five most talented in the country and the Spartans are sure to be one of the top national title favorites in 2027.
A Cooper-Bonke backcourt would be a movie.
Tom Izzo has hit the depth jackpot
How many coaches in college basketball can lose a key guard to the transfer portal and it not affect the team’s depth negatively. If anything, fans are thrilled that they’re going to see more Carlos Medlock Jr. and Jasiah Jervis next season with minutes shoring up after Divine Ugochukwu’s departure.
Michigan State’s backcourt went from six deep to five. That’s not a big problem to have, especially when one of those five is an All-American and two others have starting experience.
As for the frontcourt, the center position added Bonke to a group with Jesse McCulloch and Ethan Taylor. Add Cooper to that mix and Michigan State has one of the deepest frontcourts in the country with Cam Ward, Kaleb Glenn, Julius Avent, and Coen Carr all in the fold at forward.
Diego will not being a concern for Izzo next year.
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