The transfer portal opened a week ago and new college athletes are entering every single day, but Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo has narrowed his list of targets seemingly down to two.
After watching Aiden Sherrell and Samet Yigitoglu commit to Indiana and Luke McEldon commit to Northwestern, Izzo is down to a couple of options at the center spot. He has reportedly reached out to Cincinnati big man Moustapha Thiam who is going to have no shortage of potential suitors willing to pay him millions, and Charlotte 7-footer Anton Bonke has a visit planned for this weekend.
Both of those options would obviously be upgrades to the center position but it’s all going to depend on how much Izzo is willing to spend to chase No. 2.
However, there is a third option that has surfaced recently, and it seems like an avenue that Izzo and the Spartans should seriously consider exploring. According to a report from On3, the NCAA is “exploring” a five-year eligibility window that could go into effect as early as this summer. The major question mark is if the NCAA will allow current seniors to be grandfathered in and use an extra year of eligibility.
How could this help Michigan State solve the crisis at center? It could allow a guy like Carson Cooper to return for a fifth year and fill that massive void at center.
Would you rather pay millions for a transfer portal center that may not even work out or spend that money on a proven player like Cooper who already knows the program and has a rapport with the team? The answer is pretty obvious, especially when it’s dumbed down to that.
The NCAA needs to make that decision soon.
Timing is really the issue for Michigan State
Let’s say Michigan State lands Bonke in the transfer portal and then Cooper is also given a fifth year and decides to return. What then? The Spartans would have to find a spot for both guys but the transfer portal would already be closed (it closes in less than a week) so a player like Jesse McCulloch who’s mostly affected in that situation would have to stick around and play minimally for another season — I’m not so sure he wants that.
The timing of everything is what’s throwing Michigan State off, and you just know that Izzo is losing sleep over the center spot given that there’s a legitimate shot he could get Cooper back.
But would Cooper even want to return? If you’ve been following along here, I wrote about him saying that he would definitely consider returning for a fifth year and he’s talked to the staff about it. That makes this NCAA decision that much more important for the Spartans.
Even if Michigan State whiffs at center in the portal, there’s a non-zero chance that a star from this year’s Sweet 16 team could still come back.
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