Michigan State basketball prioritizing massive 5-star 7-footer

I think it’s fair to say that over the last couple Michigan State basketball seasons the Spartans have struggled guarding Zach Edey. That’s why I’m extremely excited that Edey’s moved on to the NBA and MSU no longer has to deal with him.

But Edey’s recent dominance has made me want one thing. A huge 7-footer who is just bigger than everyone else.

That has never been the normal recruit Tom Izzo has gone after, but he may just be changing his ways in response to Edey’s dominance at Purdue.

According to HS Top Recruits on Twitter, Michigan State is prioritizing the extremely talented Sam Funches.

Funches is a five-star center and one of the top players in the country in the 2026 class. According to 247Sports composite rankings, the seven footer is the No. 21 player in the country. He also is the No. 1 center as well as the No. 1 player from Mississippi as well.

Michigan State hasn’t had a 7-footer on their roster in quite some time. That is changing this season as the Spartans' transfer Szymon Zapala comes in at seven feet tall. There have also been rumors that Xavier Booker has grown an inch since last season and is now seven feet tall as well.

So maybe Izzo is pivoting and adjusting his roster strategy and he wants to now go after taller players down low. After seeing the amount of success Purdue has had over the years doing this, I wouldn’t be upset if that were the case.

Many other elite programs are reportedly after Funches as well including Kansas, Gonzaga, Tennessee, Kansas State, Houston, Ole Miss, and many others.

As with any five-star player, this will be an extremely difficult recruitment to win. But I must say I’m very happy to see Izzo throwing Michigan State’s name into the mix.