New UM Coach Boynton Offers Big Recruiting Challenge to MSU

Michigan's new men's basketball head coach made his first offer in his new role to potentially the most interesting recruit possible.

That player offered by Mike Boynton is 2028 point guard Mateen Cleaves Jr. He announced on social media that the Wolverines had sent him an offer on Sunday, the first known offer sent out by UM since Boynton's two-year deal with the program was announced this past Friday.

Cleaves' Status as a Recruit

Cleaves, obviously, is almost certainly going to be a clear priority for Michigan State basketball in the near future. The Spartans already offered Cleaves nearly a year ago. Tom Izzo literally gave Steven Izzo the middle name "Mateen" for a reason.

As of now, Cleaves is in a prime position to eventually become a 5-star recruit in the 2028 class. He's currently ranked 37th overall in the class on the 247Sports Composite, as well as sixth among point guards. ESPN's individual rankings are really optimistic. The site has Cleaves ranked 13th overall in the class and second among point guards.

Orchard Lake St. Mary's freshman guard Mateen Cleaves Jr. defends East Lansing's Cam Hutson during the second quarter in the Division 1 state semifinal on March 14, 2025, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

This also means that getting one of the ultimate Spartan legacies to follow in his father's footsteps will be no easy task. Cleaves also already has offers from Houston, USC, Georgetown, and Rutgers. That list is certainly going to grow over the next year or so, especially once each team's focus shifts from building its 2027 recruiting class to its 2028 one.

One has to imagine that Tom Izzo will be especially determined under these circumstances, though, especially as Cleaves continues to climb the recruiting rankings. Very few players, if any, define the Izzo era more than Cleaves' father. It would be one thing if this were a recruit whose dad was a role player at MSU, but the name "Cleaves" carries a much different level of significance, which makes the timing of Boynton's offer all the more interesting.

The Cleaves Legacy at MSU

Cleaves is one of 10 MSU players to have their jersey number retired, his being No. 12. The list of accolades for Cleaves' college career is very, very lengthy: national champion, NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player, two-time Big Ten Player of the Year, and a three-time All-Big Ten honoree.

Cleaves averaged 12.5 points, 6.6 assists, and 1.6 steals per game across his four-year career in East Lansing, helping establish the consistent machine that the program is still maintaining today. Hardly any recruit will be tied so clearly to Michigan State again. Just the idea of him winding up at Michigan can be filed under the "it just feels wrong" category.

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