Last offseason was kind of a nightmare for Tom Izzo and Michigan State. The Spartans lost Jase Richardson after just one season and Xavier Booker, Tre Holloman, and Gehrig Normand all entered the transfer portal.
To make matters worse, Michigan State's incoming FAU transfer -- Kaleb Glenn -- suffered a season-ending injury so the Spartans were shorthanded from the get-go.
Another transfer got injured in the middle of the Big Ten season as Divine Ugochukwu went down with a foot injury and nearly made a return in the NCAA Tournament, but Izzo wouldn't let that happen.
Losing all of that talent and having two transfers suffer season-ending injuries would derail most teams, but thankfully Michigan State is not most teams and Izzo isn't just an ordinary head coach. He had one of his best coaching jobs, going 27-8 with a Sweet 16 appearance.
The way the season ended in the Sweet 16 got me thinking about what would have happened if guys like Booker and Holloman didn't transfer, so I decided to go check out how the first season with their new teams went. It was a mixed bag, but we'll start with the most prominent Spartan transfer.
Tre Holloman, G, NC State
2025-26 stats: 9.2 points, 2.1 assists, 1.8 rebounds, 42.1% FG, 40.2% 3FG in 25.6 minutes
The biggest transfer shock last offseason was Holloman and Michigan State fans still aren't over it. He left the program that he worked so hard for three seasons in, and he threw away what could have been a great legacy, especially if he helped Michigan State to a Final Four.
Instead, he opted to play for Will Wade and NC State, and he got pretty much everything you'd expect from the Will Wade experience. He was promised a role, didn't get that role, and had similar numbers as a senior with the Wolfpack compared to his junior season at Michigan State.
Holloman's Wolfpack had a disappointing season which ended in the First Four against Texas, and Wade left just days later for the LSU job. Overall, probably a bad transfer decision.
Xavier Booker, PF, UCLA
2025-26 stats: 7.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.2 blocks, 54.7% FG, 43.3% 3FG in 20.1 minutes
Booker was somewhat expected to transfer after two quiet seasons to begin his Michigan State career, but some were hoping he'd stick around and become an Izzo success story.
He opted to transfer to play for Mick Cronin at UCLA.
There, he started 27 games and improved in every major category outside of free throw shooting. He really became a knock-down 3-point shooter, but he still has a modest bag of moves. His Bruins fell short against UConn in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament but he averaged 14 points and 6.5 rebounds while shooting 4-for-7 from deep in the Big Dance.
Gehrig Normand, G, Santa Clara
2025-26 stats: Did not play
Another not-so-shocking transfer, Normand played in just 13 games with Michigan State over two seasons. The redshirt sophomore spent the 2025-26 season at Santa Clara where he missed the year with an injury -- he's now missed two of his first three collegiate seasons due to an injury.
While he didn't play for Santa Clara this year, the Broncos made the NCAA Tournament but lost to Kentucky in overtime. He'll look to have a hefty role when he's healthy next year.