Tom Izzo Shoots Down Retirement Talk: ‘What the Hell Am I Going to Do?’

Tom Izzo says he plans to keep coaching the Spartans for as long as his energy allows.

Michigan State coach Tom Izzo reacts to foul call at the NCAA tournament. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

No. 3 Michigan State’s comeback effort against No. 2 UConn came up just a few points short on Friday night. After trailing by 19 points in the first half, the Spartans stormed all the way back and traded blows back and forth with the Huskies over the final 10 minutes before Dan Hurley’s squad ultimately left with the one ticket to the Elite Eight up for grabs.

After the game, Michigan State coach Tom Izzo was asked in a roundabout way about his potential retirement. Where does the coach, now 71, see himself in five years?

“Trying to win a national championship, plain and simple,” Izzo replied. “That's it.”

Izzo conceded that the end of the season is always when these questions are going to be raised, but assured media that he had no plans of giving up his spot on the Spartans’ bench any time soon.

“I’m feeling good. We all talk about retirement. Why? What the hell am I going to do? The minute I don't feel good, the minute I don't feel like I'm giving my AD or president or school every ounce of energy I have every day or that energy drops, you don't have to worry about it. I don't steal money. I won't steal anybody's time. But it's sure as hell not going to be now. I've got some things to accomplish. I'm going to make damn sure that—I said a couple years ago that I'll find a way to get back there. We've knocked on the door twice. We haven't gotten back. We'll get back.”

Tom Izzo on retirement speculation. 👀

“I’m feeling good. We’ll talk about retirement—why? What the hell am I going to do? The minute I don’t feel good, the minute I don’t feel like I’m giving my AD, president, or school every ounce of energy I have every day… you won’t have to… pic.twitter.com/TEaKNlJFGc

— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) March 28, 2026

Izzo is one of the best coaches in all of college basketball, but at 71, it’s fair to ask about his projected timeline. Roy Williams retired at 70. Mike Krzyzewski coached until 75. As things stand, Izzo sounds like he’s hoping to at the very least match Krzyzewski, while also taking it a year at a time.

Izzo wasn’t the only high-profile coach to shut down retirement rumors on Friday night, as LSU women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey offered a similarly defiant statement following the Tigers’ loss to Duke in the Sweet 16.

Longest tenured coaches in men’s college basketball

Izzo has held the top job at Michigan State for three decades, and as such is one of the longest tenured coaches in the history of the sport. Here’s a list of the other active coaches who have held on to their respective jobs the longest for comparison.

Coach	School	Year hired	Age
Greg Kampe	Oakland	1984	70
Tom Izzo	Michigan State	1985	71
James Jones	Yale	1999	62
Mark Few	Gonzaga	1999	63
Scott Drew	Baylor	2003	55
Bill Self	Kansas	2003	63
Gary Manchel	Mercyhurst	2003	63
Matt Painter	Purdue	2005	55
Chris Mooney	Richmond	2005	53
Jon Judkins	Utah Tech	2005	62
Bill Coen	Northeastern	2006	64
Ben Jacobson	Northern Iowa	2006	55

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