Tom Izzo extended one of his first public Michigan State offers in the 2027 class on Sunday evening following a Philly Live event in Philadelphia. Four-star big man Jaydn Jenkins was offered by the Hall of Fame head coach after he stood out at the event.
Izzo was one of the coaches in attendance at Philly Live along several others who came out to see Jenkins and other top recruits.
Michigan State doesn’t have many public offers out in the 2027 class, but that’s likely because Izzo won’t have many spots open. Thinking about it, Michigan State will likely only be losing Coen Carr and Anton Bonke for sure — assuming they don’t use their fifth years of eligibility that the NCAA just granted — and potentially Jeremy Fears Jr.
With two, maybe three, spots open, Izzo has to be selective with his offers and that means that Jenkins is one of his top targets.
So what would the No. 39 recruit in 2027 bring to the Spartans if he were to commit?
Analyzing Jaydn Jenkins’ game
Clearly Izzo liked what he saw, offering the big man after an impressive showing which featured him doing a little of everything that you‘d want from a modern center. He can shoot, he defends, and he moves well for his size. He’s not the biggest center prospect, listed at 6-foot-9 and 205 pounds on 247Sports, but he makes up for that with his length.
#1 Ranked Hooper in Philly Jaydn Jenkins just went OFF in front of college coaches at Philly Live😳⭐️ @jaydnjenkins_ pic.twitter.com/xYvz29ngWC
— MADE Hoops (@madehoops) June 27, 2026
Jenkins plays bigger than his size and that’s something that Izzo values. He loves aggressive defenders who are quick to slide over on help-side defense.
I have seen Jenkins listed as 6-foot-10 by some accounts, but I’m going with the safe measurements on 247Sports. If he is 6-foot-10, I think that would make fans feel a whole lot better about him as a center as opposed to a power forward at the next level.
That could also mean that he’s versatile enough to play both positions.
The only thing that worries me about the four-star center and No. 1 recruit from Pennsylvania is the fact that his shot is a little slow-developing and clunky right now. He’s going to work on his release and he can clearly make jumpers, but a shooting motion that slow is not going to allow for many open shots at the NCAA level. You obviously don’t want him rushing his shot, but that’s something that may not be part of his game right away.
I like this offer by the Spartans and I think Jenkins could be a nice shot-blocking big man who can step out and hit the occasional three. A duo of him and Ethan Taylor would be electric.
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