Tom Izzo has been hitting the recruiting trail hard over the past few months and the results are going to reflect his hard work fairly soon, I’m confident.
The Michigan State head coach has been offering some top 2027 targets lately like Antonio Pemberton, Jaxson Davis, Joshua Tyson, and Jadyn Jenkins. All of those guys are ranked in the top 60 in the 2027 class and judging by the projected departures next offseason, Michigan State will likely have a smaller group than normal coming in. He’s offering the right guys.
However, since it should be a smaller group with only Coen Carr and Anton Bonke leaving for sure (and likely Jeremy Fears Jr.), Izzo can land 1-2 of these guys early on and then focus on 2028.
With 2028 in the not-so-distant future, Izzo has had time to focus on some top targets and really get to work on building relationships with them. His No. 1 target in the 2028 class has become more obvious with each passing day as Michigan State continues to be at the forefront of all conversations regarding the son of a Spartan hoops legend, Mateen Cleaves Jr.
On Thursday, Izzo stopped by the Nike Peach Jam to check in on Cleaves Jr.
Tom Izzo in the building to watch Mateen Cleaves Jr. pic.twitter.com/B3DNhpUJwt
— Sam Lance (@slancehoops) July 16, 2026
This is just the latest instance of Michigan State interest in a flurry of headlines involving the Spartans and Cleaves Jr., and it goes to show just how high Izzo is on the son of one of his favorite players ever.
Earlier this week, a couple of Spartan legends actually stopped in at a Nike EYBL event in Las Vegas to check in on Cleaves Jr. and show support to their friend, Mateen Cleaves. Zach Randolph and Plaxico Burress watched their “nephew” dominate during the event, dropping 23 points, seven assists, and five rebounds on 8-of-12 shooting.
Izzo saw another impressive performance from the No. 37 overall recruit and No. 5 point guard in the 2028 class.
It’s pretty obvious who the Spartans’ No. 1 target in 2028 is.
Tom Izzo is no stranger to recruiting former players’ sons
This isn’t the first former player’s son who has earned the attention of Izzo on the recruiting trail and it likely won’t be the last.
Izzo just coached Jase Richardson last year and turned the four-star combo guard into a first-round pick by the Orlando Magic in the 2025 NBA Draft. He benefitted from his year under Izzo and while his brother, Jaxon, chose to commit to Alabama, I think Jason Richardson would tell you that he’s happy that Jase played for the Hall of Famer.
Before Jase, Davis Smith walked on at Michigan State. Steve Smith may have played before Izzo was head coach, but the two have a good relationship and it was cool to see his son play for MSU.
A name that I think we could all keep an eye on for future transfer portal target purposes is Kelvin Torbert’s son, KJ Torbert, who just won Michigan’s Mr. Basketball award at East Lansing High. He’s signed to play for Tum Tum Nairn and Bowling Green, but don’t be shocked if he breaks out and wants to transfer to a higher-profile school, and maybe the one his dad attended to play for Izzo.
In 2027, Izzo is recruiting Kingston Thomas who is the No. 2 recruit in the state of Michigan and he’s also the son of David Thomas, a former role player and national champion at Michigan State. He was also the director of basketball operations at one point under Izzo.
Izzo is no stranger to recruiting the sons of former players, and I think he has to be the most comfortable recruiting Mateen Jr. given his relationship with Mateen Sr.
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