What MSU's Carr Must Do To Have Big Senior Season
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Nobody on Michigan State's roster has a higher ceiling than Coen Carr.
That ceiling might not even exist. Carr's athleticism alone is enough to earn him a massive dunk or two per game. His 67 made dunks in 2025-26 were the most for a player on the Spartans since Torvik started tracking the stat in 2009-10. One highlight tape of Carr from this past season has accumulated 2.5 million views on Twitter/X. He's so athletic that the NFL's Chicago Bears have inquired about him.
Needed Improvements From Carr
Carr seemed like a player who could benefit from testing the NBA Draft waters, but he appears to be set to return to MSU for his senior season, as the deadline for early entrants was this past Friday. The Spartans will be awaiting final decisions from Jeremy Fears Jr. and Charlotte transfer Anton Bonke, who both have until 11:59 p.m. ET on May 27 to withdraw, which is still the favorable outcome.
In fairness to Carr, it seems pretty obvious what kind of feedback he'd be getting. Very few non-big men can survive in the NBA without being a serious threat to shoot, and that's what Carr needs to become during his senior season. Carr shot just 27.6% from behind the three-point arc last season.
While that number was a bit disappointing, Carr is showing some more comfort with shooting the three-ball. He went 5-for-15 (33.3%) during his junior year, but Carr basically only shot wide-open, corner threes. Tom Izzo has been willing to let him shoot some quicker threes now, along with some other shots from the wings.
Why Carr Can Make Jump
First, you have to muster the confidence to be able to take the shot by knocking them down in practice. Then, you worry about the shot starting to drop during games. Jaxon Kohler had the most makes from deep this season (58) after he hadn't made any threes through two college seasons. One solid offseason can be enough to turn a player from a mild threat from deep into one of his team's best options from out there.
Carr has lots of things he'll be able to sell to NBA teams after his senior season. Obviously, electrifying dunks top the list, but he's a much better rebounder, ball-handler, and off-ball defender than he was at the start of his time at Michigan State. Making teams respect him on the perimeter would be what catapults Carr into potential first-round or lottery-pick status.
Not only that, but it would open up so many things for both Carr and MSU's offense as a whole. Teams would no longer be able to sag off Carr and let him shoot it. Maybe Carr then does a little pump fake to get his defender out of position, then drives right past him. Perhaps the Spartans use him as a screener sometimes, either rolling him to the basket like a center or having him pop out for an open three.
Even without being a great or good three-point shooter, Carr averaged 12.0 points per game last year. It would be interesting to see what he gets if he becomes one.
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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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