Tom Izzo has been one of the best recruiters in college basketball for years now. Although he's not landing 2-3 one-and-done prospects every cycle like Duke or Kentucky teams over the past decade, he's getting high-profile players who fit the culture.
Izzo's always looking for OKGs (our kind of guys).
To fit that description, you have to be a really talented basketball player who doesn't mind the tough love that Izzo often coaches with. You have to be willing to take a few verbal uppercuts every now and then and respond positively. If you're not willing to be coached hard, Michigan State is just not going to be the place for you.
That tough love coaching has often been criticized and called "too much" by some members of the media and opposing fans. It's been knocked and the main criticism is that kids don't like to be coached like that anymore.
They have a point, though: a lot of players don't love that kind of coaching nowadays.
Fortunately for Izzo, when he finds guys who do like to be coached like that, they end up joining the program and having a ton of success.
Heck, he's got a team full of guys like that right now.
There's also an elite recruit who's considering Michigan State because Izzo coaches like that.
Jaxson Davis likes Tom Izzo's coaching style
Jaxson Davis, a top-40 point guard from Illinois, was recently on campus for the Ohio State game and got to meet with the team and the coaching staff.
After the visit, Jason Killop of On3 caught up with Davis and asked him what he liked about Michigan State and Izzo. The four-star point guard's answer was perfect.
Top 50 PG Jaxson Davis talks Michigan State visit, relationship with Tom Izzo…
— Jason Killop (@JasonKillop) February 27, 2026
"I like how (Izzo) goes about it. He criticizes players, but he also protects his guys and really believes in his guys…”
(On3+): https://t.co/kafu6TIum7 pic.twitter.com/s8AzQpGrbB
Tell me that doesn't scream "OKG" to you.
A talented point guard who likes how Izzo is tough on his players but also protects them, goes to bat for them, and believes in them. That coaching style still resonates with talented prospects, and it's exactly why he has the nation's No. 2 recruiting class in 2026.
Davis will be a tough pull out of Gurnee, Ill., seeing as Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Northwestern, and Purdue are all chasing him. He's the nation's No. 40 recruit and 11th-best point guard, per 247Sports. He's Illinois' best recruit.
I like Izzo's chances.