Michigan State basketball lands Ethan Taylor, vaults to No. 1 class in 2026

Michigan State basketball landed the No. 2 center in the country on Friday and the Spartans now own the nation’s No. 1 class.

On Friday, Michigan State basketball rounded out its highly-ranked 2026 recruiting class with a late commitment from a highly-touted prospect. After MSU’s win against San Jose State last night, Tom Izzo secured another victory with Ethan Taylor’s commitment, who is nationally ranked as the 23rd best player in the nation, and the second best at his position.

What to know about Michigan State basketball’s newest commit

Taylor is currently ranked as a five-star according to 247Sports, and is Izzo’s highest-ranked commit since Xavier Booker back in 2023. The 7-foot prospect visited MSU back on Oct. 3 for the Spartans’ Midnight Madness event along with high school teammate Carlos Medlock Jr.

Both players are currently attending Link Academy in Branson, Mo. Their chemistry at the high school level will transfer to the Breslin Center nicely as both recruits will prepare to be the next dominating duo at Michigan State.

Taylor also visited Oregon, Indiana, Oklahoma, and Kansas before his MSU visit, and all four of those schools were in his top five before he announced his decision.

Adam Finkelstein of 247Sports stated, “Taylor is a rapidly improving big man with elite physical tools. Measuring at 7 feet with a 7-foot-3 wingspan and a solid frame that is only just beginning to fill-out, he has massive size. But he’s also a good athlete for his size who runs fluidly, gets off his feet powerfully, and even has some agility. He can spinoff contact in the post, rise-up for emphatic power dunks, and be a consistent lob threat.”

How does the roster shape up?

Looking forward to 2026, the Spartans will have Taylor and redshirt sophomore Jesse McColloch down low in the paint. In terms of incoming freshmen, Taylor will join Medlock, Julius Avent, and Jasiah Jervis in a loaded class of players — perhaps Izzo’s best group since 2023 with Booker, Jeremy Fears, Coen Carr, and Gehrig Normand.

With Carson Cooper and Jaxon Kohler graduating after this year, Taylor has a big chance to step in immediately and play extended minutes as a freshman, something is becoming more and more common for Izzo and his staff in this new era of college basketball.