Why Fifth-Year Eligibility Ruling Probably Hurts MSU Basketball
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College basketball is going to be a bit of a mess in the lead-up to the 2026-27 season.
On Friday, a judge in Colorado reportedly granted a class-wide preliminary injunction, which, at least for now, means that last season's graduating seniors from the high school class of 2022 who just completed four seasons of eligibility this spring are eligible for a fifth year. The story isn't quite over yet, but it's beginning to feel inevitable at this point that last year's seniors will benefit from the NCAA's new "5-in-5" rule, after all.
Immediate Impact on MSU
Hundreds of experienced players suddenly becoming eligible again, a few months before the season, probably isn't good news for Tom Izzo and the Spartans. Michigan State's roster is pretty full already, and it doesn't feel all that likely that it will add anyone at this stage.
If it were anyone, Jaxon Kohler would be the name to watch. Even then, rumors of him potentially transferring to BYU have been swirling essentially since this scenario became a real possibility. A return for Carson Cooper is off the table, since he signed a two-way NBA deal with the Memphis Grizzlies. Tre Holloman said the other week he'd be open to a return to East Lansing, but MSU's backcourt is already crowded enough as is.
There will be other, more external options for the Spartans to add to their roster, but they won't have much playing time to offer anywhere. It could be a chance to play for a championship contender, but any addition Izzo makes could disrupt the overall chemistry of the roster. The most likely scenario here is Michigan State just standing pat.
That's not going to be the case for plenty of other teams around the country, though. Talking about adding players to the roster in August is supposed to be pretty rare. Now, in a year where MSU is hoping it can win a National Championship, every team around them is probably talking about this one-time-only opportunity to bolster their roster ahead of the start of the season.
More Details on Ongoing Chaos
The main concern here isn't really about teams using this situation to put themselves above Michigan State, but rather a bunch of teams getting themselves closer to where the Spartans are. MSU will still almost certainly be a top-10 team in the preseason AP Poll, but the gap between it and No. 15 or No. 20 may be smaller now than it was before.
That is still pretty major. It's tough to know exactly which teams will benefit the most from this, besides probably LSU, which previously had only four players listed on its roster, including former Spartan Divine Ugochukwu. Regardless, plenty of teams will get an additional chance they probably don't deserve to improve their rosters.
College shifting to 5-in-5 is only going to make winning a National Championship even harder. The possibility of that fifth year means most elite teams, not necessarily this year, but in the future, will have at least one or two players who would have been ineligible under the old rules. It's only going to shift the bar higher and higher down the line.
This is part of what makes the timing of the ruling a little frustrating for Michigan State. It's not often that preseason expectations this high come around, and now this comes around, and MSU is hardly in a spot to take advantage of it.
Why To Still Be Optimistic
There is a very thick silver lining around the fact that Michigan State isn't in a position to take advantage of this ruling. It can easily mean that MSU just doesn't need to add anybody. Izzo should always be looking for ways to make his team better, but he's still gotten his team into a contending position right now without needing a weird break like this.
If there is any serious question or flaw about this year's roster, it's whether the centers will hold up on the defensive end. There are answers to pretty much everything else. Jeremy Fears Jr. gives the Spartans star power, and he's certainly a preseason candidate for the Wooden Award. Michigan State has shooting, size, depth, secondary ball-handling, and secondary creation.
The ingredients for a title contender are all there. I still think MSU should try to bring Kohler back, but there are plenty of other factors to consider. Bringing him back would also step on the toes of Cam Ward, Anton Bonke, and some others. Izzo seems to weigh those ripple effects more than others, which is why Kohler looking at other college options would be totally reasonable.
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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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