Carson Cooper and Jaxon Kohler had completely different career outlooks when they committed to Tom Izzo and Michigan State over four years ago. The two came in with different expectations in a three-man class along with Tre Holloman.
Kohler came in as the highly-touted four-star big man who earned the nickname “Baby Jokic” in high school and Cooper was an unranked recruit on the IMG Academy “B team”. It was clear who was expected to have more success in East Lansing, but both have ended their careers on a similar high note after a bit of a rocky road.
Izzo is grateful that he got to coach both of them.
The Hall of Famer talked about his senior class on Thursday night after the Rutgers win. He spoke highly of all his guys but he spoke on Kohler, Cooper, and even Nick Sanders specifically.
He explained why the 2026 senior class will hold an extra special place in his heart.
Tom Izzo: "I will remember those two, because with this changing landscape, it's different. They will ALWAYS have a place to come back to. When I'm dead, they'll still have a place to come back to. There will be pic of Jax, Coop, and Nick in my office before I am done."
— Emmett Matasovsky (@E_Matasovsky57) March 6, 2026
To have a picture in Izzo’s office is an insane honor. He’s coached some elite players over the years, so if you’re good enough to have a picture on his wall or desk, you know you’ve made a serious impact on him. When you stay at Michigan State for four years and don’t waver on your commitment to the program, you are always going to command his respect.
Like Jaden Akins a year ago, this senior class will have an extra special spot in Izzo’s heart because of how they handled their careers in East Lansing.
Getting here wasn’t easy for Carson Cooper, Jaxon Kohler
Cooper said it before Senior Day that he wasn’t supposed to be at Michigan State, on paper, but Izzo took a chance on him and it turned out to be the best decision he’s ever made.
The no-star big man from Jackson, Mich., trusted in the Izzo process and now he’s looking at a long professional career, either here or overseas. He probably didn’t expect to have legit pro prospects when he came to Michigan State, but he trusted the process, didn’t quit when he was lightly-used for a couple of years, and then he had a breakout senior season.
Kohler didn’t exactly have the easiest road either. He came in as a highly-rated big man from Utah and he averaged just about 10 minutes per game throughout his first two seasons. He battled an injury in his sophomore season that kept him out in the first half of the year and had his own issues with finishing around the rim, shooting just 43.5% from the floor.
Like Cooper, Kohler trusted the process, stuck it out, and finished his career as one of the best bigs in the Big Ten. He went from 9.2 minutes per game as a sophomore to nearly 30 as a senior and he’s averaging 12.5 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. The man is a double-double machine.
Their road wasn’t easy, but the two senior bigs stuck with Izzo when it probably would have been easier to go another route, and it paid off.
They helped Izzo as much as he helped them.