The final domino has fallen, and Michigan State now sits alone atop the 2026 recruiting mountain. With Friday’s commitment of 7-foot-1, 5-star center Ethan Taylor (Link Academy, Branson, Mo.), Tom Izzo has officially assembled the nation’s No. 1-ranked recruiting class — the first time the Spartans have held that crown since the iconic 2016 quartet of Miles Bridges, Joshua Langford, Cassius Winston, and Nick Ward that carried MSU to the 2019 national championship.
The numbers are jaw-dropping.
• Ethan Taylor – No. 23 overall, No. 2 center (247Sports Composite)
• Carlos Medlock Jr. – Top-40 point guard (already signed)
• Jasiah Jervis – Top-50 sharpshooting wing
• Julius Avent – Top-75 athletic power forward
That’s four top-75 prospects, including two consensus top-25 talents, giving Michigan State the highest average player rating in the country and vaulting them past Duke, Kentucky, and Kansas in every major recruiting service ranking as of Sunday morning.
For context, the 2016 class — forever immortalized as the “Flintstones” — entered the cycle ranked No. 2 nationally and produced:
• A national championship (2019)
• Two Final Fours
• Three first-round NBA draft picks (Bridges, Winston via second round, Jaren Jackson Jr. from 2017 class)
• A decade of Big Ten contention
Insiders are already whispering that this 2026 group has even higher upside. One national analyst told 247Sports, “This might be the most complete class Izzo has ever signed — elite floor general, dead-eye shooter, explosive forward, and a true 7-foot rim protector with guard skills. It’s plug-and-play for March.”
The timing has sparked inevitable speculation: Is this Tom Izzo gearing up for one last ride? At 71 years old and with 700+ wins, back-to-back Sweet 16s, and a program trending upward again, the Hall of Fame coach has never hidden his desire to chase Banner No. 2 before riding off into the UP sunset. Sources close to the staff say Izzo has been recruiting with a ferocity not seen in years — personally texting Taylor at 11 p.m. after big AAU games, flying Medlock’s entire family to campus multiple times, and turning the Izzone into a recruiting weapon that literally crowd-surfed Taylor during his official visit.
Social media is in meltdown mode. #SpartanDawg2026 is trending No. 1 nationwide, former players are flooding timelines (“This class is LOADED” – Draymond Green; “Best since us… maybe better” – Cassius Winston), and the “One Last Dance?” memes are everywhere — complete with Izzo photoshopped in Jordan’s Final Shot pose, but wearing green.
The message from Breslin Center is crystal clear: Michigan State isn’t rebuilding. They’re reloading for a championship run that could begin as early as 2026-27 and peak right when Ethan Taylor is a junior and this superstar class hits its prime.
Tom Izzo has his heirs. The Flintstones 2.0 are locked in.
And college basketball just got put on notice: the Spartans are coming — and they might not leave the top of the mountain for a very long time.
Go Green. One last dance? Hell, this might just be the beginning.
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