What Another Year With Tom Izzo Promises for Michigan State

The Spartans have their legendary coach back for another year. What does it mean for this season specifically?

Legendary Michigan State University men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo is also one of the greatest male athletes to hail from the Upper Peninsula. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Michigan State Spartans are well on their way to becoming one of the more hyped teams going into next season, and a lot of that is due to their stacked roster, but more so because of their legendary coach, Tom Izzo.

With someone like Izzo, it is really easy to forget how good he is for the team until he one day retires and is gone from it, and that is definitely the case for this year, as his presence helped bring back standout player Jeremy Fears Jr.

Michigan State guard Jeremy Fears Jr. celebrates the 77-69 win over Louisville in the NCAA Tournament second round at KeyBank Center in Buffalo on Saturday, March 21, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

So what does Izzo bring to the table this year that will be missed once he is gone, something that no other coach in the Big Ten can do as he does, even amidst chaos?

The First Thing Izzo Brings to the Table

Apr 22, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Michigan State head basketball coach Tom Izzo watches during the first half of the game between the Detroit Pistons and the Orlando Magic during game two of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

• While many teams are struggling with many of their departures this offseason, Izzo has been around long enough to see everything that can possibly happen in college basketball, and he knows how to put things into order when it's messy.

• He did that already in the offseason by helping bring back the aforementioned Fears Jr., and he has continued to do so in MSU's final recruiting efforts before they have to focus on the regular season and all of the prep that comes along with it.

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

• However, he will continue to do that in the regular season when the team has slumps like it did last year by picking up the pieces to make runs in the postseason, such as getting to the Sweet Sixteen before getting knocked out by the eventual national runner-up, UConn.

• This year, he will be able to do that again with a roster he has been disciplining for years, and will likely get farther in the March Madness tournament this time around.

The Second Thing Izzo Brings to the Table

Apr 22, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Michigan head basketball coach Tom Izzo and Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores talk during a time out in the first half of the game between the Detroit Pistons and the Orlando Magic during game two of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

• On top of being able to pick the team back up when it's struggling, Izzo consistently delivers good results year after year, no matter how well-put-together the roster seems to be.

• In fact, he's been doing this for so long that fans are starting to get tired of the consistent success, simply because there hasn't been a championship win in a long time.

Mar 27, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Michigan State Spartans head coach Tom Izzo talks with guard Jeremy Fears Jr. (1) in the second half during a Sweet Sixteen game of the East Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

• But this is a good problem to have, and when Izzo retires someday, fans will miss the consistency that he has brought to the program over the course of the last several decades.