Well, Tom Izzo's first major recruiting loss for 2026 is in the books.
After offering Jonathan Sanderson last July, Izzo and Michigan State looked like it would be a frontrunner in the race for the four-star former Saline, Mich., product and son of former Michigan strength and conditioning coach Jon Sanderson.
The younger Sanderson committed to Notre Dame over Michigan State, Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois recently.
COMMITTED!☘️☘️ @NDmbb pic.twitter.com/pYL8mdgKyX
— Jonathan Sanderson (@jonathan_sand10) June 8, 2025
It felt like Sanderson's recruitment was relatively quiet although he received 20 Division 1 offers and he transferred from Saline, Mich., to La Lumiere and with the success Izzo has had with recruits who attend the prep school in La Porte, Ind., it felt like this move wouldn't hurt the Spartans.
The 6-foot-2, 170-pound point guard is ranked No. 52 overall in the 2026 class and he's the eighth-best point guard and the state of Indiana's No. 1 prospect, according to 247Sports.
Michigan State will now be forced to turn its attention to other top targets in the 2026 class but it does feel as if Izzo wasn't recruiting Sanderson heavily as he didn't make it to campus (according to 247Sports) after his offer last July. The list of targets for 2026 is slim right now, but the Spartans are still keeping an eye on several top prospects.
Izzo has his sights set on guys like Steven Reynolds, Anthony Thompson, Jayden Hodge, Jalan Wingfield, and Gabriel Sularski in the 2026 cycle, but he needs to expand his board.
Missing out on Sanderson hurts, but it's unclear just how high on Izzo's list he was.