MSU Basketball Sends Offer to 4-Star 2027 Pennsylvania Center
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Michigan State is starting to position itself for recruits in the 2027 class.
The Spartans and Tom Izzo recently identified a new target. 4-star center Jaydn Jenkins announced via social media on Sunday that he had received an offer from MSU. He's just the second 2027 recruit known to have gotten an offer from Michigan State thus far, joining shooting guard Kingston Thomas, an East Lansing native (4-star guard Joshua Tyson reportedly unofficially visited MSU on Monday, too).
Basic Info on Jenkins
Jenkins, listed at 6'9" and 205 pounds, is in that high-4-star range as a prospect, much closer to being a 5-star recruit than a 3-star guy. He's currently ranked 39th overall in the class of 2027 and seventh among centers on the 247Sports Composite. Jenkins is also the top prospect from Pennsylvania, coming out of the city of Warminster and Archbishop Wood High School.
His other high-major offers right now are from Georgia, Mississippi State, Penn State, Oklahoma State, Pitt, Ohio State, Virginia Tech, Seton Hall, Xavier, Providence, Villanova, and West Virginia. That list will probably grow in the coming months as coaches continue to search around the summer high school and AAU circuits during the offseason. Michigan State is probably Jenkins' most prestigious offer right now, but that can change pretty quickly.
Izzo and head assistant Doug Wojcik were also in the Philadelphia area to watch Jenkins on Sunday. Sunday was the final day of Philadelphia High School Live. Jenkins and Archbishop Ryan were able to get a 67-64 win over Gill St. Bernard.
Tom Izzo in attendance to kick off our Sunday slate! pic.twitter.com/Atz6B50qAX
— Philly HS (@PhillyHSLive) June 28, 2026
Early Impressions on Jenkins' Game
Jenkins' versatility quickly explains why he's ranked so high, despite not being the tallest center out there. He's able to knock down jumpers from mid-range and behind the three-point arc, though it takes him a beat longer than most to load up his jump shot.
He's also got some athleticism, a necessity to be a center at 6'9" or 6'10". Jenkins has some long arms that help him protect the rim, and he is a pretty fluid mover. He'd be another nice lob threat for MSU to add to its roster. Being able to catch an alley-oop is pretty much a prerequisite for Izzo to want you as a center these days.
Jenkins was also one of the invitees to Team USA's U18 training camp in Colorado in May. He didn't make the final roster for the AmeriCup in Mexico alongside incoming Spartan freshmen Jasiah Jervis and Ethan Taylor, but Jenkins was still one of 16 members of the 2027 class to participate in the American training camp.
If Michigan State were to end up landing Jenkins, he'd be the 18th-best recruit MSU will have landed in the 247Sports era. He'd be just behind Taylor and Mady Sissoko and just ahead of Deyonta Davis and Cassius Winston, with a composite score of 0.9846.
Needs in MSU's 2027 Recruiting Class
How MSU approaches this next recruiting class will be interesting. Izzo and the coaching staff accepting four high school players this cycle, as they did with their highly regarded 2026 class, would feel like a real surprise. Don't expect Michigan State to gun for the recruiting title this coming season.
A big reason is that the Spartans may not necessarily need anybody. MSU doesn't have a single scholarship player entering their final season of eligibility, with the NCAA's new 5-in-5 rule recently becoming official. Coen Carr and incoming Charlotte transfer Anton Bonke were both set to enter their true senior seasons in 2026-27. The shift to the age-based system with five years of eligibility (and no more redshirts) has extended their runways by another year.
This puts Izzo and the staff in a slightly precarious spot as they try to guess which players may either leave for the NBA or enter the transfer portal next offseason. Michigan State could, theoretically, have the exact same roster in consecutive years, but the odds of that being a reality are small.
I could realistically see as many as five players being NBA-ready after this season. That list includes, in no particular order, Jeremy Fears Jr., Jordan Scott, Jervis, Carr, and Bonke. Fears was seriously considering leaving this offseason. Bonke also went through the NBA Draft process, but there was hardly a doubt that he'd end up at MSU after he committed. Still, he's a 7'2" center who can stretch the floor; demand very well could be there for him.
Carr is basically a more reliable three-point shot away from being a first-round guy, and perhaps a lottery pick. Scott is a 6'8" wing who is a great three-point shooter and can defend positions 1-4; he will be in demand eventually. Jervis is a very versatile scorer at 6'4" who should be featured a lot this coming season at just 18 years old.
None of those players leaving for the pros next season would feel surprising to me, especially if the Spartans live up to their likely preseason top-10 billing.
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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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