5 Potential Transfer Portal Targets at Center for MSU
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A starting-caliber center is the most glaring need for Michigan State in the portal this offseason.
The Spartans are losing both Jaxon Kohler and Carson Cooper with their 2025-26 campaign's end against UConn in the Sweet 16. Both players averaged double digits in the scoring column, and they were the top two rebounders on the team.
As of now, the options at the five include Jesse McCulloch, who wasn't getting serious minutes in March, and then incoming freshman Ethan Taylor, who will likely be more of a project prospect for the coaching staff.
Someone else will have to be added to the fold. It's really, really early in the process, but here are some names that make sense right now.
Bangot Dak (Colorado)
Putting this guy and Coen Carr in the same frontcourt would make any coach the Spartans face next year lose some sleep. Colorado's Bangot Dak announced via On3 on Sunday night that he would be entering the transfer portal, and he'll have plenty of suitors. Hopefully, Michigan State will be one of them.
Dak's athleticism pops off the tape at seven feet tall. He'd be another amazing alley-oop partner for Jeremy Fears Jr. and moves a lot more like someone who plays small forward or power forward, rather than center. He's not a great shooter at 26.5% from three for his career, but he is enough of a threat that people have to respect the range a little bit.
Colorado 7 Foot 20 year old Bangot Dak has shown some intriguing flashes this season
— KJ (@KJScouting) November 9, 2025
Through two games he’s averaging 10/9/2 along with 2 BPG
Dak moved extremely well for his height and has the ability to play as a rim runner or create his own look using his mobility and… pic.twitter.com/h4hgYYBbAY
The production is there, too. Dak has improved each season of his college career and averaged 11.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks during his junior year. He should also gain some Izzo points, given the fact that he has given Colorado three years and might just be looking to contribute at a more successful program for his final year of college hoops.
Dak only having one year left also fits the timeline. Having him start and giving Taylor a season to learn as the backup in a bench role would make a lot of sense for the program's long-term future.
Anton Bonke (Charlotte)
Another interesting prospect is Charlotte's Anton Bonke, who tossed his name in the portal on March 24. He's from the tiny island nation of Vanuatu, which has a population of just about 340,000 people and is located a bit northeast of Australia.
Bonke took a leap this past season while playing for the 49ers, averaging 10.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game. Charlotte was his third school in three years, with Bonke starting at Eastern Arizona College (a junior college program) before spending a season at Providence.
He provides even more height, standing at 7-foot-2 and 260 pounds. Charlotte has a dead-slow tempo (349th at KenPom), but Bonke looks athletic enough to keep up with MSU's pace. Bonke can both get it done on the low block and can even stretch the floor a little bit, having made 13 threes this past season. The competition in the American Conference is also on the stiffer side for a mid-major program.
The years of eligibility will be a bit of a question. Bonke will have at least one, but there is the possibility of a second year, since he started at a JUCO outside of the NCAA. Either way, he's a short-term option that fits the Spartans' timeline relatively well.
Chol Machot (Charleston)
Another defensive-minded player to keep an eye on is Chol Machot from Charleston, who announced his intention to enter the transfer portal with two years of eligibility remaining on March 18.
He began at Florida SouthWestern State College, a junior college (MSU played East Carolina and North Carolina there this past season), as a true freshman before moving up to Charleston this past year.
— Chol Machot (@chol_machot) March 18, 2026
The impact Machot had there was immediate and huge. He averaged 8.9 points and 5.5 rebounds a game, but the number that sticks out is his 2.5 blocks. That ranked ninth in Division I and first in the CAA. He was the conference's Defensive Player of the Year as a result.
There is some serious upside to Machot. He'll have two or three years remaining to keep improving, and he already moves very well for someone his size at 7-foot-0.
Isaac Garrett (Oakland)
One more player to keep in the back of your mind is Oakland's Isaac Garrett, who announced on March 11 that he was entering the transfer portal. Standing at 6-foot-8, he's more of a power forward than a center, but the Golden Grizzlies would use him at the five occasionally.
He is undersized for the position (hey, Xavier Tillman was 6-8), but Garrett is versatile. He can dribble and pass pretty well for a frontcourt piece and would make Michigan State's offense more dynamic.
Exhibit No. 1 about why it could work for Garrett at this level is that he's done well against high-major teams. Oakland's Greg Kampe usually schedules daunting non-conference schedules, placing Michigan, Houston, Purdue, MSU, and UCF on this year's schedule for his team. Against those five high-major foes, Garrett averaged 15.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.
Izzo and Kampe are also close friends. Kampe would probably like to upset Izzo during their annual matchup one of these years, but if a high-major team is going to take one of his players, Michigan State would probably be on Kampe's list of OKs.
Ben Defty (Boston Univ.)
One last name for now is Boston University's Ben Defty, who 247Sports' Dushawn London reported will be entering the transfer portal on March 17.
Defty was one of the top players in the Patriot League this past season, averaging 15.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game. He was second-team all-conference and on the all-defensive team. Defty stands at 7-foot-0 and 255 pounds.
The big question would be whether Defty could adjust to the Big Ten and an MSU offense that constantly pushes the pace. Defty had the stamina to give BU 29.5 minutes per game this season, but the Terriers were 355th in adjusted tempo, per KenPom.
Jumping from the Patriot League to the Big Ten is also a pretty big leap. KenPom has ranked the Patriot League 27th out of 31 conferences each of the last two seasons. The Big Ten has trailed the SEC only in those two years.
A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
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