Tom Izzo, Michigan State offer major 5-star prospect out of Arizona
Michigan State men's basketball has experienced something of a mini-resurgence over the last calendar year, and it's been most evident on the recruiting trail.
Well before the Spartans reached the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019, MSU had already locked up the No. 3 recruiting class in the country for the 2023 cycle. That class — which consists of five-star power forward Xavier Booker, five-star point guard Jeremy Fears and four-star small forwards Coen Carr and Gehrig Normand — will join the program this summer.
Michigan State is also off to a great start in the 2024 recruiting cycle, having secured commitments from four-star shooting guard Kur Teng and three-star center Jesse McCulloch so far.
It's never too early to look ahead to the Class of 2025 however, especially when it comes to the top high school prospects in the entire country. Head coach Tom Izzo and his staff are doing just that with five-star Gilbert (Ari.) Perry power forward Koa Peat, who received a scholarship offer from the Spartans earlier this week.
Beyond blessed to receive an offer from Coach Izzo at Michigan State #AGTG. pic.twitter.com/A5SibFLZTI
— Koa Seward Peat (@kpeat10) April 26, 2023
The 6-foot-8, 210-pound high school sophomore is ranked the No. 3 overall player in the 2025 class, according to 247Sports' composite rankings. Peat has garnered 26 scholarship offers, including Arizona, Baylor, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, UCLA, Indiana and many others.
Here's what 247Sports recruiting analyst Brandon Jenkins had to say about Peat during his sophomore basketball season:
Peat can affect the game in many ways at such a young age. With elite size for a perimeter prospect, Peat projects and excels as a multi-positional player and defender. He is a high volume rebounder who is most effective while being utilized as a playmaking four-man offensively. Peat embodies the full use of the term versatility as he can create for those around him just as well as he does himself. He has the excellent ball skills to run an offense and the vision to see over a defense to find the open man.
Peat additionally demonstrates a reliable perimeter game that will only get better with time and continued work. He gets great lift on his jumper and has a great feel for when to score and when to distribute. His game has shades of PJ Washington when you combine his faceup package with his approach to hitting the glass as he is a quality rebounder on both ends of the floor. His intangibles are just as valuable as his versatility as he already possesses the attitude and work ethic to be a major asset at a high major program.
Michigan State went through a bit of a rough patch after point guard Cassius Winston and power forward Xavier Tillman had their senior seasons cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Spartans failed to live up to the program's incredibly high standards during the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons, but Izzo and Co. seemed to get back on track this past season by finishing fourth in the Big Ten and reaching the 'Sweet Sixteen'.
At the same time, Izzo and his staff have flexed their recruiting muscles, and the 28-year veteran has re-proven his ability to attract top talent to East Lansing, despite all the changes to college athletics in recent years.
Ultimately, Michigan State has to get back to winning championships and hanging banners inside the Breslin Center in order to truly satisfy the program's expectations. But the recruiting success suggests that the Spartans are well on their way to returning to the upper echelon of college basketball.
