ULTIMATE NEWS: Nation’s No. 1 Player Announces Commitment To Michigan State Spartans, Delivering Tom Izzo His Crown Jewel Recruiting Class
EAST LANSING, MI – In a seismic shift that has reshaped the landscape of college basketball recruiting, the nation’s top-ranked player has officially announced his commitment to the Michigan State Spartans.
Five-star center Ethan Taylor, a 7-foot-1, 244-pound force of nature from Link Academy in Missouri, delivered his pledge to Hall of Fame coach Tom Izzo on November 14, 2025, sending shockwaves through the sport and catapulting the Spartans’ 2026 recruiting class to the No. 1 ranking in the country .
The commitment, announced live on CBS Sports’ YouTube channel, represents not just a victory on the recruiting trail, but a definitive statement that at age 70, Tom Izzo remains one of the most formidable forces in the sport. Taylor, widely regarded as the most physically gifted big man in the entire 2026 cycle, chose Michigan State over a who’s who of blue-blood programs, including Kansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Oregon .
“I think it was a pretty easy choice,” Taylor said during his announcement, a remark that will undoubtedly sting rival fan bases who had pursued the Kansas native for months. “Coach Izzo was very, very hard on me during the recruiting process. He recruited me very hard. I think I heard from him most out of any head coach.”
For Izzo and the Spartans, this is the culmination of a recruiting masterclass. Taylor joins a quartet of four-star prospects—point guard Carlos Medlock Jr., shooting guard Jasiah Jervis, and swingman Julius Avent—to form what 247Sports immediately labeled the No. 1 class in the nation upon Taylor’s signing . According to 247 Sports’ composite rankings, Taylor is ranked No. 23 nationally overall and stands as the No. 2 center in the class, though subsequent updates have solidified his status as a consensus five-star talent .
“Izzo did it again,” wrote 247 Sports’ Travis Branham in an analysis following the commitment. “The top contender for Kansas’ No. 1 class right now isn’t Duke or Kentucky, as has historically been the case; it’s Tom Izzo and the Michigan State Spartans who could claim the crown.”
The Crown Jewel: Ethan Taylor
To understand the magnitude of this commitment, one must look at the sheer physical tools Taylor brings to East Lansing. Described by 247 Sports Director of Scouting Adam Finkelstein as “the most physically gifted big man in the class,” Taylor possesses a rare combination of size, agility, and burgeoning skill that has drawn comparisons to some of the great modern big men .
Taylor’s measurables are straight out of a scouting director’s dream: a legitimate 7-foot-1 frame (Izzo later noted he measured at 7-foot-1.5 during his campus visit), a massive 7-foot-3 wingspan, and a solid 244-pound frame that is only beginning to fill out . But what separates Taylor from the typical “project” big man is his athletic fluidity. He runs the floor with ease, possesses soft hands, and has demonstrated a surprising ability to facilitate from the post.
“He can spin-off contact in the post, rise-up for emphatic power dunks, and be a consistent lob threat,” Finkelstein wrote in his scouting report . “Still, there is room for more physical dominance as he continues to harness his conditioning… Taylor has pretty good hands and feet, but the most underrated part of his game is his passing. He can hit cutters from the post and is even starting to show some early flashes of being able to play out of short-rolls.”
Defensively, Taylor is projected to be an immediate impact player. While he is still refining his timing as a shot-blocker, his sheer size and length make him an intimidating presence in the paint. Izzo, a coach renowned for developing big men from Zach Randolph to Jaren Jackson Jr., sees a raw diamond ready for polishing.
“This kid’s got another year, he’s just turning 18,” Izzo told reporters after practice following the commitment . “He could grow but he’s definitely going to fill out. He’s got body to fill, very well proportioned. A great kid, a great family. Hard to coach 7-1.”
Izzo also noted that Taylor is already significantly heavier than five-star Jaren Jackson Jr. was when he arrived on campus, suggesting Taylor may not need the traditional “redshirt” year that many big men require in Izzo’s system .
A Class Built for the Future
While Taylor is the headline, the 2026 Michigan State recruiting class is notable for its depth and balance. Izzo has often spoken about the importance of recruiting positional need, and in this cycle, he checked every box .
Carlos Medlock Jr. – The first domino to fall, Medlock committed in July and has since seen his stock skyrocket. Originally ranked outside the top 100, the 5-foot-11 point guard has surged to No. 45 nationally in the latest 247Sports update . A Detroit native now playing alongside Taylor at Link Academy, Medlock is described as a “dynamite-built point guard” with electrifying speed and a scoring mentality reminiscent of former Spartan great Kalin Lucas . Finkelstein notes that Medlock has “total command of his handle” and is a “pest” defensively, though he may need to adapt to a more distributing role at the college level after averaging nearly 21 points per game on the 3SSB circuit .
Jasiah Jervis – The 6-foot-4, 190-pound shooting guard from Archbishop Stepinac in White Plains, New York, is widely considered the most likely immediate contributor in the class. Ranked No. 33 overall and the No. 4 shooting guard in the nation, Jervis is a lethal scorer who averaged 16.2 points per game on 49% shooting from the field and 40% from three-point range during his junior season . Izzo has compared him favorably to former Spartan great Gary Harris. “He’s a guy we like, compare him a little bit to Gary Harris in that he can play both ends of the court, he can really shoot the ball, which we need, and he can really defend the ball,” Izzo said .
Julius Avent – The lowest-rated of the four signees (currently ranked No. 84 nationally), Avent may have the highest ceiling due to his freakish physical tools. A 6-foot-7 forward from Bergen Catholic in New Jersey, Avent possesses a jaw-dropping 7-foot-3 wingspan and a powerful 220-pound frame . While he is still developing his perimeter skills, he shot 38% from beyond the arc during EYBL play and has the physical profile to guard multiple positions. “The first thing that jumps out about Avent is his long and strong frame,” Finkelstein wrote. “He’s powerfully built with mass, definition, and the broad shoulders to support his extreme length.”
The Izzo Renaissance
The significance of this recruiting class extends beyond the rankings. For the past several years, analysts have quietly questioned whether Tom Izzo’s traditional, development-heavy approach could survive in the modern era of the transfer portal and one-and-done culture. While programs like Duke, Kentucky, and Kansas stockpiled five-star talent, Izzo relied on identifying under-the-radar prospects and molding them into multi-year contributors.
The 2026 class represents a philosophical shift—or perhaps a return to form. It is Izzo’s best recruiting class since 2016, when he landed Miles Bridges, Nick Ward, and Cassius Winston . But unlike that class, which relied heavily on in-state talent, this group is a national haul: a center from Kansas via Missouri, a guard from Detroit, a scorer from New York, and a forward from New Jersey.
“On paper, what we needed, what we got, I love the class,” Izzo said . “I love the families that are involved with them, I love the grades, I love the guys, I love that they’ve all been from winning programs. I think my staff did a hell of a job. For me, for Michigan State, I think it was a phenomenal class.”
The class was assembled with surgical precision. It started with Medlock in July, continued with Avent in October, and added Jervis in early November . The final piece, Taylor, was the result of an aggressive pursuit that saw Izzo personally stay in constant contact with the big man throughout the process.
Taylor’s official visit during the MSU Madness season tipoff event in early October proved to be the turning point. The experience of being in front of the Izzone, the student section notorious for its intensity, left an indelible mark.
“On my visit, I was hearing chants and I was crowd-surfing and it was crazy,” Taylor recalled . “But then the players, too, the players really helped make it an easier decision, just with how they welcomed me and how nice they were to me on my visit.”
National Recognition and Future Impact
The momentum from this class has continued to build well after the November signing period. In January 2026, all four Michigan State signees were nominated for the prestigious McDonald’s All-American Game—a rare honor that underscores the depth of talent in this group . Taylor and Medlock are candidates for the West team, while Avent and Jervis represent the East.
Additionally, Taylor was selected to represent the USA Men’s team for the 2026 Nike Hoops Summit, an annual showcase featuring the top high school talent in the country . The event, scheduled for April 11 in Portland, Oregon, will give Spartan fans their first glimpse of their future star competing against international competition. Past participants in the Nike Hoops Summit include Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum, and Anthony Davis .
“Taylor was among the Spartans’ top targets throughout the 2026 cycle, and Michigan State competed with several of the nation’s top programs to land him,” wrote Max Dorsey of SI. “While Izzo doesn’t typically give freshmen much playing time, Taylor is a player who is undoubtedly talented enough to contribute to Michigan State’s success as soon as he arrives on campus.”
The timing of Taylor’s arrival is fortuitous for the Spartans. Michigan State is set to lose both Carson Cooper and Jaxon Kohler to graduation after the 2025-26 season, leaving only Jesse McCulloch as a returning center . This opens the door for Taylor to compete for immediate starting minutes, a rarity in Izzo’s system.
The Road Ahead
As of January 2026, the Spartans’ recruiting class has been adjusted to No. 2 nationally by some services, trailing only Duke . However, with the early signing period complete and the four prospects locked in, the foundation is set. The question now is whether Izzo can add any additional pieces via the transfer portal to complement this stellar group.
For Michigan State fans, the commitment of Ethan Taylor represents more than just a recruiting win. It is validation that the program remains a national powerhouse, capable of going head-to-head with any school in the country for elite talent. It is a reminder that Tom Izzo, despite his age and the changing landscape of college athletics, remains one of the game’s premier closers on the recruiting trail.
Taylor’s own words perhaps best sum up what Spartans fans can expect when he arrives in East Lansing.
“I’m gonna come in Day 1 and hit the ground running,” Taylor said . “I’m gonna work my butt off and do anything it takes to win. Whatever that means.”
With the nation’s No. 1 class locked in, the future in East Lansing has never looked brighter. The ultimate news is this: the Spartans are back, and they’re bringing a five-star big man with them.
