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Tom Izzo has once again pieced together a top 5 recruiting class in 2027

Another one.
ByConnor Muldowney
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Michigan State’s head coach Tom Izzo gives a thumbs up before the game against UConn on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.
Michigan State’s head coach Tom Izzo gives a thumbs up before the game against UConn on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Tom Izzo is at an age in which most college basketball coaches slow down. Tom Izzo is not most college basketball coaches.

The Hall of Famer has been the head coach at Michigan State for over 30 years and he’s never looked more youthful and he’s recruiting like he’s still 50. He just landed one of the best recruiting classes in 2026 with Jasiah Jervis, Julius Avent, Ethan Taylor, and Carlos Medlock Jr., and he’s about to follow that up with another top-10 group.

Heck, it might even be top five.

Rivals released their 2027 Top 25 basketball recruiting class rankings and Michigan State comes in at No. 5 behind UConn, LSU, Purdue, and Providence. That’s one heck of a top five in the 2027 class.

Michigan State is on track to, once again, finish with a top-10 class in the country and it’s currently sitting ay No. 2 in the Big Ten behind only Purdue which has the No. 3 center and No. 12 point guard committed so far.

The Spartans have the No. 7 point guard and No. 8 center. Antonio Pemberton is the crown jewel of the class and he’ll be joined by Jaydn Jenkins who isn’t receiving the same hype, but he’s a very good center who Izzo prioritized. He hosted Jenkins on a visit during Grind Week along with Pemberton and the two liked the idea of playing together.

Now they combine for the No. 5 recruiting class in the country which gives Izzo his third top-10 recruiting class since 2023. He’s stacking elite classes and it’s about to pay off any time now.

If he can land Mateen Cleaves Jr. in 2028, he’s going to have one of his best string of point guards in 30 years. Talk about a potential full-circle moment.

The quest for No. 2 is still alive and well

Although Michigan State is off to a sluggish start this season with a couple of exhibition losses under its belt, Izzo has big goals for this team and for the next couple of squads as he nears retirement.

He clearly still has plenty left in the tank but once you hit 70, retirement becomes the topic of conversation every offseason. Plus, this new era was expected to kill off all “dinosaur” coaches like Izzo, but he’s avoided extinction and he’s actually thriving. He’s recruiting as well as any head coach in college basketball and he’s the third-oldest behind Rick Pitino and Rick Barnes.

Izzo won a title before anyone thought he could and now he has a chance to win after people called him washed up and said that the game had passed him by.

The Hall of Famer could finish with the perfect bookend to a terrific career.

He’s certainly recruiting like he plans to win one before he retires.

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