Tom Izzo is in heavy pursuit for No. 2 before he decides to hang it up and call it a (Hall of Fame) career. The legendary Michigan State basketball coach is entering his first season as the reigning Big Ten champion since 2020-21, and we all know how that year turned out. He's hoping for better luck this time around.
Fortunately for Michigan State fans, it feels like Izzo is more motivated than ever.
While he didn't get the big names in the portal that everyone was clamoring for, he did land a few high-impact transfers to go along with a two-man recruiting class of borderline top-50 prospects. He has five healthy newcomers and another who will be out for the year.
Still, his focus is on defending that Big Ten title and also getting back to the Final Four and pushing for a national title. He believes that he has the team to compete this year, but he's still building for the future.
Over the past week, Izzo has secured a few official visits and has made numerous top schools lists for some of his Plan A targets.
The official visit schedule he's piecing together this fall is special, though.
Here are the scheduled official visits as of Aug. 11, per 247Sports:
August 30
- Julius Avent, 4-star PF (No. 87 nationally)
September 5
- Jasiah Jervis, 4-star SG (No. 60)
- Quinn Costello, 4-star PF (No. 70)
- Carlos Medlock Jr., 4-star PG (No. 98) -- committed
September 11
- Maximo Adams, 4-star SF (No. 40)
September 20
- Tristan Reed, 4-star C (No. 69)
October 3
- Ethan Taylor, 5-star C (No. 22)
- Jalyn Collingwood, 4-star SF (No. 150)
Over the span of about a month, Izzo will be hosting eight recruits all ranked in the top 150 nationally in the 2026 class. Seven of those guys are in the top 100, and five of them are in the top 70.
For anyone saying that Izzo might retire after this season, I'd say that this dedication to recruiting is proof that he's not going anywhere. Izzo may retire in the coming years, but with the Final Four in Detroit in 2027, I think that push for No. 2 just got a lot more serious.