Projecting MSU Basketball's 2026-27 Full Rotation
In this story:
The moves for this offseason are pretty much wrapped up.
Michigan State basketball and Tom Izzo still have one open roster spot they can give out, but there aren't really any open minutes in the rotation right now to hand away. The Spartans' retention efforts have helped: only one player has exited via the portal (Divine Ugochukwu). Charlotte transfer Anton Bonke is the only addition so far for MSU from the portal.
Projected Starters
PG - Jeremy Fears Jr. (R-Jr.)
Still likely to be leading the charge is All-American point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. He averaged 15.2 points and a nation-leading 9.4 assists per game last season, setting a single-season program record for assists.
Fears currently has his name in the NBA Draft and was invited to this year's NBA Combine, though. He has until the end of the day on May 27 to withdraw his name from consideration. Despite the combine invitation, Fears is still heavily favored to return to Michigan State, with a much larger expected payday in college than he'd get as a second-round pick or as an undrafted free agent.
SG - Jasiah Jervis (Fr.)
Izzo has not started a freshman in Game 1 of the season since Max Christie in 2021-22. After watching Jasiah Jervis play a bit, I think he can be the next freshman to start right away.
Part of the Spartans' problem last year was the lack of a reliable, score-first two-guard. That's exactly what Jervis can provide right away as a freshman as a 5-star recruit ranked No. 26 overall in the class of 2026 on the 247Sports Composite. He's MSU's first 5-star guard since Christie, after all.
SF - Jordan Scott (So.)
Returning to the starting lineup, but perhaps in a different spot, is Jordan Scott. He started MSU's final 13 games this season at shooting guard, but he originally started the season normally playing the three. With Coen Carr back, Izzo is unlikely to run a two-big starting lineup, like he did with Jaxon Kohler and Carson Cooper, and with the addition of Jervis, a shift back to small forward feels right for Scott.
Scott averaged 5.8 points per game during his freshman year, though he averaged 7.7 points as a starter. He also shot 45.2% from behind the three-point arc as a starter. His length, switchability on defense, and deadliness from deep make Scott a real NBA prospect very soon.
PF - Coen Carr (Sr.)
Also shifting to another spot is Carr, who started at small forward in 2025-26. Carr took a step forward this past season, becoming more versatile on offense and jumping from 8.1 to 12.0 points per game. His defense also seemed to be improved.
Carr opted against even testing the NBA draft waters, which felt like a minor surprise. In fairness, it's pretty obvious what Carr needs to do: get that jump shot down. Carr made just 27.6% of his threes last season on 2.2 attempts per game. If Carr can get his three-point shot into the mid-30s, it might be hard to deny him a spot in the NBA's first round in 2027.
C - Anton Bonke (Sr.)
New to the squad, all the way from the tiny island nation of Vanuatu, is Bonke. He averaged 10.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game last year while competing in the upper portion of the mid-major level.
Bonke also spent the year before that at Providence, where he wasn't out of the playing group. That's a bit of a concern, but Bonke only started playing basketball at 16. He's taken leaps each year of his college basketball career.
Bench
6th Man - Kaleb Glenn (R-Jr.)
The top bench contributor right now would probably be Kaleb Glenn. He transferred in from Florida Atlantic last offseason and was often considered Michigan State's top transfer portal get, but Glenn missed the entire 2025-26 season due to a knee injury. Glenn averaged 12.6 points per game during the 2024-25 campaign while shooting 41.0% from three.
Backup PG - Carlos Medlock Jr. (Fr.)
Another freshman who will come in and play right away is Carlos Medlock Jr. He is ranked 47th overall in the class of 2026 on the 247Sports Composite, including fifth among point guards. Medlock is smaller at 5-foot-11, but is a crafty scorer who should do fine at keeping things moving whenever Fears has to take a rest.
Defensive Stalwart - Cam Ward (So.)
Bringing back Cam Ward is another big development for Michigan State's frontcourt. Ward was an energetic piece of the Spartans' rotation last season, often muscling his way to the rim for points on the offensive end and then gobbling up rebounds on the other.
Ward's high motor alone made him a plus player for MSU last season, but he'll need to polish some things up this summer, particularly offensively. Opponents are totally fine with him taking jump shots, and Ward also only made 51.0% of his free throws.
Next Wing - Kur Teng (Jr.)
Kur Teng is also back. He got his three-point percentage to 38.1% during his first year, where he truly played, but Teng was a little streaky and inconsistent at times. His defense was also pretty spotty, which was why he didn't play more, even though MSU was sometimes thin on shooters. Consistency and defense will be the two keys for Teng as he contends with Jervis for the starting spot at the two.
Big Man Option - Jesse McCulloch (R-So.)
Jesse McCulloch is also back, and he is another option for the Spartans at power forward and center. His ability to stretch the floor has been the main thing he's flashed during his time on the court, but McCulloch fouls too much (5.2 fouls per 40 minutes) and doesn't seem to play with the level of aggression Izzo wants from his bigs. This summer is going to be a big one for McCulloch's development.
Raw Centerpiece - Ethan Taylor (Fr.)
Wrapping up the projected playing group is freshman Ethan Taylor. He's up at 30th overall in the class of 2026 rankings, but Taylor is a bit raw. Redshirting probably isn't on the table for him, but it will probably take a season before Taylor takes on the significant role most expect with his recruiting ranking. Taylor came off the bench for Link Academy this past season while teammates with Medlock.
Outside Looking In: Julius Avent (Fr.), Brennan Walton (R-So.), Colin Walton (R-So.)
Add us as a preferred source on Google
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.
Follow jacobcotsonika