How MSU Insulating Itself From Chaotic Transfer Portal Season

More than 2,000 Division I players are reportedly in the transfer portal right now. None are from Michigan State.

MSU has one of the only men's basketball programs out there that has gotten no transfer portal news so far. Nobody has transferred out, and nobody has transferred in. The Spartans have only one roster spot to hand out to a transfer, and that spot is widely expected to go to a center or big man.

Tom Izzo's thoughts on the portal are no secret. Despite that, Michigan State still saw three players leave via the transfer portal last season, and four players came in -- a pretty busy offseason for the program's standards. This year, both of those numbers might drop to zero and one, respectively.

There are a few key reasons for that.

Michigan State coach Tom Izzo talks with guard Jeremy Fears Jr. (1) during the second half of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball East Regional game against UConn at Capital One Arena in Washington DC on Friday, March 27, 2026. Michigan State lost the game 67-63. | Eric Seals / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Roster Retention

No decision to leave East Lansing has felt as stunning as when Tre Holloman transferred away to N.C. State. It didn't make much sense then, and it still is confusing. Holloman's scoring remained virtually the same; he saw a marginal increase in minutes and fewer shots.

Izzo said recently that he had been texting with a player about how they regretted leaving. Hiring Sherlock Holmes wasn't necessary to determine that he was almost certainly referring to Holloman, who posted on his Instagram story a picture of the exterior of the Breslin Center with the caption, "Got some great memories in that building."

One wonders whether Holloman's story and move to NCSU are a bit of a cautionary tale. Sure, Xavier Booker and Gehrig Normand both also left, but both of those decisions felt amicable, and nobody on this year's roster seemed like a guy in need of a change of scenery. No one leaving (yet, at least) is also a great sign that the Spartans' NIL war chest is good enough to keep everybody around without much drama.

I could get made to look like an idiot, since players can still enter the portal until April 21, but the longer a player waits, the worse off they are. More players are committing by the hour, and the longer someone waits, the less likely they are to find a situation where they are better off.

Big-Time Recruiting Class

Stepinac’s Jasiah Jervis is the Journal News/lohud Boys Basketball Private School Player of the Year March 26, 2026. | Frank Becerra Jr./The Journal News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Taking in four high school recruits also helps quickly stack the roster. Not that many high-major programs do that these days. Michigan State is just one of five Big Ten programs with at least four high school commits this cycle. One Big Ten team, Washington, has zero.

Leaving some room for portal flexibility is generally the way to go. Five seniors are going out, and four freshmen are coming in. Still, leaving just one spot open in the transfer portal shows Izzo has a lot of confidence in both the current roster as-is and the freshmen entering the program.

Michigan State's Tom Izzo shouts instructions out during a game against Michigan at the Breslin Center on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI