Tom Izzo confirms AJ Hoggard will not return to Michigan State

Tom Izzo confirmed on Wednesday that senior point guard AJ Hoggard would not be returning to Michigan State next year.

It’s been an eventful offseason so far for Michigan State basketball as news keeps breaking left and right.

Outside of all the transfer talk, the Spartans had two seniors on the roster who had the option to return for a fifth year, but it’s looking like both are officially heading elsewhere in 2024-25.

The first is Mady Sissoko who entered the transfer portal recently and Tom Izzo spoke about him on the Tim Staudt radio show, stating that there are some programs reaching out. Izzo will likely help him land wherever he feels most comfortable.

The other is AJ Hoggard who recently declared for the NBA draft while maintaining his college eligibility. This raised question marks.

Would Hoggard return to MSU after going through the draft process again?

Izzo answered that question on the Tim Staudt radio show on Wednesday.

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— Michigan State Content (@msucontent) April 18, 2024

Izzo said that Hoggard could opt to return to college but “it wouldn’t be here” — he did say this in a respectful manner.

This likely confirms that the Spartans have two open spots on the roster that Tom Izzo could use to add portal players. He’s already heavily involved with Frankie Fidler from Omaha who will be announcing his decision soon. There’s also chatter that he could be in on Oakland’s Trey Townsend. Getting both of those guys would make for an interesting lineup with Xavier Booker at the five.

Fortunately, the news coming out of East Lansing this offseason has been positive. Izzo’s vow to make Michigan State elite again “or die trying” seems to be coming to fruition. He’s making all the right moves — outside of targeting a portal center.

We could see Izzo target portal bigs after May 1 which is the undergraduate deadline to enter. That will help him solidify the roster and maybe chase guys like Cliff Omoruyi, Brandon Garrison, or Great Osobor.

For now, though, we know the status of the two seniors with eligibility remaining.