Why MSU's Jesse McCulloch is Key to Program's Future
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EAST LANSING, Mich. --- Jesse McCulloch had to patiently wait for his turn to play at Michigan State.
The former No. 173 overall recruit in the class of 2024, McCulloch was a three-star prospect who was certainly going to be a project for Tom Izzo and the Spartans. Izzo seemed on the fence about redshirting him last year, but ultimately decided to wait a year before allowing McCulloch to play. McCulloch, native to Cleveland, Ohio, took it in stride.
"It was a little tough, but you've got to play your role," McCulloch said about redshirting. "And last year, we were [Big Ten] champs. I would do whatever to win a championship. Just knowing that was my role [on the scout team], I was going to stick to it, and I got better each and every day."
McCulloch has appeared in all 11 of MSU's games so far and is currently averaging 3.6 points and 2.1 rebounds per contest.
McCulloch's Key Attributes
Three-Point Shooting
How opportunistic McCulloch has been has stood out. He has only received 9.2 minutes per game thus far, so he's had to make his time on the court count.
As a big man, he also does not receive too many shots, especially since he isn't as polished in the paint as Jaxon Kohler and Carson Cooper are, at least not yet. What McCulloch has shown is the ability to stretch the floor, as he is 5-for-9 from deep this year. These have been pressure threes, too; McCulloch made two against Kentucky during the Champions Classic at points where it felt like the Wildcats were building up momentum.
"I work really hard on it," McCulloch said about his three-point shooting. "So do all our bigs who come in and our guards, too. Just to put that time in and see it pay off, it really feels good."
Kohler's three-point shooting has been huge this season, but MSU is only going to enjoy the fruits of that for this one year. McCulloch is still going to have three years remaining after this one.
Defensive Communication
When Izzo first noticed McCulloch as a sophomore in high school, it was for something extremely simple: he was a relentless communicator.
"Doug [Wojcik] and I are sitting on a baseline, and this little sophomore is out there talking his brains out," Izzo said Thursday. "And we both said we like that kid. Then we looked at his skills, but he communicated."
"My dad and my former coaches really told me, 'You've got to be vocal. That's what you've got to do,' because I wasn't the most talented [player]," McCulloch said. "I wasn't the highly ranked [recruit], so just knowing that was my emphasis on the team really mattered to me."
McCulloch currently is tied for the best defensive plus/minus on the team (6.0), according to CBB Reference, as well as the third-best defensive rating on the team (92.9). His 2.8 blocks per 40 minutes are by far the most on the team --- Kohler is in second, with 1.5 per 40 minutes.
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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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