Projecting Role for MSU’s Ethan Taylor As Freshman
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Michigan State's incoming recruiting class is among the best in the country.
Four highly touted four-star prospects have the Spartans' 2026 class ranked third in the country. One of the biggest names in that class is Link Academy (Mo.) center Ethan Taylor, who is ranked 30th overall in the class and third among centers on the 247Sports Composite.
Background on Taylor, Recruitment
Taylor is currently listed on 247Sports at 7-foot-0 and 244 pounds, as well as a 7-foot-3 wingspan. That puts him right up there size-wise with outgoing seniors Jaxon Kohler and Carson Cooper. Link Academy is located in Missouri, but Taylor is originally from Shawnee, Kan. He's also teammates with incoming point guard Carlos Medlock Jr.
The competition for Taylor, who at times had been holding five-star status, was fierce. Taylor also took official visits to Oregon, Oklahoma, Indiana, and Kansas. Michigan State got the last word in, though, bringing Taylor along during the Spartans' annual "Michigan State Madness" event at the Breslin Center, as well as allowing Taylor to crowd-surf at the Izzone Campout.
Those were also just the schools involved towards the end. Taylor also had reported offers from Kentucky, Purdue, Houston, Tennessee, and Texas. A little more than a month after his official visit to East Lansing, he committed and subsequently signed with MSU.
Before going to Link Academy for his senior season, Taylor attended Shawnee Mission Northwest High School, where he was teammates with eventual Illinois star Keaton Wagler. During his junior year there, he averaged 14.0 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks per game while shooting 70.3% from the field.
Where Taylor Fits in for 2026-27
While Taylor was a pretty highly touted prospect, the odds of him coming in and starting right away are pretty low. Taylor was coming off the bench at Link Academy during his senior season, so his jumping into the starting five at a Big Ten school right after that doesn't seem like the natural progression.
There should still be minutes and opportunities available for Taylor, though. Redshirting won't be an option at all. With the transfer portal now open, the Spartans only have one open roster spot to fill in -- unless someone leaves in the portal or unexpectedly turns pro.
MSU is widely expected to use that roster spot on another center, but that probably won't erase Taylor from the picture. The main competition will be between him and rising redshirt sophomore Jesse McCulloch for that backup role at the five. McCulloch has the experience edge, but Taylor is a more physically gifted big man, especially in the post, who has a higher ceiling.
Some of it also depends on how McCulloch develops this offseason. He still has a nice ceiling as a stretch big, but his lateral movement hasn't been good enough on the defensive end, leading to McCulloch committing 5.2 fouls per 40 minutes on the court.
Overall Projection: Center 2A
I don't think there will be a ton of separation between Taylor and McCulloch (assuming he stays) on the depth chart next season. For next season's team to be in a position to compete for a Big Ten or maybe even a National Championship, the center addition has to be starting-caliber and good enough to fill the void left behind by Cooper.
Depth at center is still very key, though. You can get away with giving heavy minutes to guards sometimes, simply because their smaller bodies can handle running up and down the court better. It takes more energy for a guy who is seven feet tall to cover 94 feet down the court.
Right now, I'd probably guess you'll see Taylor and McCulloch in roles that give them roughly 9-12 minutes per game. Taylor, as someone without a real jump shot, will need to be surrounded by other playmakers and shooters. He's also a pretty nice lob threat, so I would anticipate seeing him on the court alongside Jeremy Fears Jr., college basketball's best passer, next season.
One thing that's also nice is that Taylor is known as a pretty good post passer. Turnovers from the bigs on the block were an issue last season, so getting the ball to him near the block probably won't be an automatic double-team like it was with Kohler. Taylor can also provide some nice defense off the bench. He'll be a really nice weakside rim protector who can help bail out MSU's guards if they allow an opposing guard to drive to the basket.
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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