Evaluating MSU Center Targets Still Available in Portal

The transfer portal has been open for nearly two weeks. The board is still blank for Michigan State --- both for transfers in and out.

MSU is the only team in the Big Ten that has had zero actual activity. Purdue is the only other team in the conference to have retained its entire eligible roster. Tuesday is the final day that non-graduates can enter the transfer portal. Those still in the portal can remain there past the deadline and keep searching.

Mar 21, 2026; Buffalo, NY, USA;Michigan State Spartans head coach Tom Izzo speaks with media after the game against the Louisville Cardinals during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Keybank Center. | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

The Spartans need one piece: a center. Names have been thrown around here and there, but the search for Michigan State has not specifically honed in on one player.

Here are a few names still hovering around the program, what they could provide, and where MSU seems to stand on them.

The Favorite: Anton Bonke (Charlotte)

If there is one guy who seems to make the most sense right now, it's probably Charlotte transfer Anton Bonke. He's on the higher end of the available bigs on the market right now. On3 has him ranked 110th overall in the portal and 13th among centers (sixth among those who are uncommitted).

Bonke is the only portal prospect known to have visited East Lansing on Friday. What I will add is that I did walk past Tom Izzo's office at the Breslin Center on Saturday morning on the way to the football team's "Spring Showcase" and saw through the massive windows in Izzo's office somebody who looked an awful lot like Bonke sitting on the couch talking to Izzo.

Michigan State's Tom Izzo shakes the hand of an Ohio State assistant before a game at the Breslin Center on Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

That doesn't necessarily mean a ton, but if my eyes didn't deceive me, it does mean that MSU might've gotten an extra day with Bonke and at least one additional meeting with Izzo. That's never a bad thing in these recruitments.

In the Mix: Franck Kepnang (Washington)

A recently emerging name in the search has been Washington transfer Franck Kepnang. It was reported on Sunday that Kepnang had a Zoom meeting with Michigan State, which could lead to a future meeting.

Kepnang will actually be a seventh-year senior this coming season. He began at Oregon as a blue-chip recruit before going to Washington, where injuries helped derail his career a bit. Kepnang averaged 6.2 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game last season.

Long Shot: Moustapha Thiam (Cincinnati)

The biggest name that has been tossed around a bit is Cincinnati transfer Moustapha Thiam. I wouldn't count on MSU going for him too much. He's ranked up at 13th overall and third among centers.

Centers are in extremely high demand this transfer portal cycle. Thiam's ranking likely means he's going to command a price that might've turned Michigan State away from Alabama transfer Aiden Sherrell (No. 4 center in the portal), who chose Indiana instead. To make matters worse, Thiam has reportedly set up a visit to Michigan for Monday, too.

Michigan State's Tom Izzo yells to one of his players during a game vs. Michigan at the Breslin Center on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

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