MSU's Cooper Figuring Out Next Steps as Pro Career Nears
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The last few months for Carson Cooper have been hectic.
His career at Michigan State ended. Then, it seemed like it may not have ended with the NCAA's proposed "5-in-5" rule, but the NCAA clarified that players like Cooper wouldn't be grandfathered in. He graduated. He got engaged. Now, he's figuring out where he'll be playing professional ball next season.
Supposed End of College Career, 5-in-5 Rule
One thing that MSU fans might be thinking about is what things would be like if Cooper had redshirted during his freshman season. That was the original plan for the former zero-star recruit, but Cooper eventually averaged 6.6 minutes per game across 31 appearances that season.
He actually saw an uptick in playing time during March Madness, playing double-digit minutes during each game of Michigan State's Sweet 16 run that season. Cooper had only played 10+ minutes during five games in the regular season. Obviously, though, if Cooper had redshirted, he'd be eligible to return to East Lansing for 2026-27, where he'd be playing a ton every single game.
“It’s tough," Cooper said on a recent appearance on The Drive with Jack Ebling. "I think I was talking to my parents, maybe, about how I’ve never heard of so many people asking someone for a fifth year before, until all this stuff started coming around. It’s been all over the internet. People on the street are asking me, and I’m like, ‘Shoot, I know just as much as you guys do with the information going around and everything.'"
“It is tough. I think it’s easy to say right now, like, I’d love to come back and play again for another year. Obviously, if it did get passed, it’d be a different conversation. I think Coach [Tom Izzo] might regret [not redshirting me] a little bit, but I think there’s still moments that freshman year where I was utilized and I think that I did help us win some games my freshman year. It’s easy now to say that I should’ve redshirted, but there’s pros and cons to everything.”
Next Year's Team, Jumpstarting Pro Career
There is perhaps a bit of FOMO about not being a part of the 2026-27 Spartans. Most way-too-early projections have Michigan State at or around the upper tier of college basketball next season, and bringing Cooper back would only help MSU's case. The fact that the Final Four is in Detroit next season only adds to the hope in East Lansing right now.
"I’ve definitely thought about it," Cooper said. "That almost sounds like a perfect storm right there [with the Final Four being in Detroit]. It’s like, ‘Man, maybe the redshirt was a sign.’ Maybe I should have redshirted so that it could be my senior year in Detroit or something."
As for next season's actual prospects, there is probably a lot of hill to climb for Cooper to reach the NBA. He wasn't invited to the NBA Draft Combine or to the G League Combine.
Cooper said he worked out for the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday. If an NBA or G League team doesn't offer him a worthwhile opportunity, he'll definitely have a lot of suitors internationally.
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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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