Ethan Taylor, 5-star C, picks Michigan State basketball, gives Tom Izzo No. 1 class
Tom Izzo finished Michigan State basketball’s next recruiting cycle with a bang.
A five-star big bang.
The Spartans completed their 2026 class with a massive addition in 7-foot-1, 244-pound center Ethan Taylor on Friday, Nov. 14. He joins three other four-star prospects who signed with MSU this week: point guard Carlos Medlock Jr. , shooting guard Jasiah Jervis and swingman Julius Avent .
"I think it was a pretty easy choice," Taylor said on CBS Sports' YouTube channel after his announcement. "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."
The addition of Taylor, according to 247 Sports' composite rankings , moved the Spartans to the No. 1 class in the nation for 2026.
"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 by the end of the week," 247 Sports' Travis Branham wrote.
"The Spartans have put together a very strong class with three four-star commitments in Jasiah Jervis , Carlos Medlock , and Julius Avent ."
Taylor picked MSU over Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma and Oregon. The Kansas native is ranked No. 23 nationally overall and the No. 2 center in 2026 according to 247 Sports' composite system. Taylor transferred this summer from Shawnee Mission Northwest High in his hometown to Link Academy, a boarding school near Branson, Missouri, where he and Medlock will be teammates this winter.
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“Ultimately, Taylor may be the most physically gifted big man in the class,” 247 Sports director of scouting Adam Finkelstein wrote. “He's already made rapid strides and as he continues to get more assertive and aggressive, his impact should only continue to grow.”
Taylor said his visit in early October during the MSU Madness season tipoff event showed him "the fanbase was just insane."
"On my visit, I was hearing chants and I was crowd-surfing and it was crazy," he said. "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."
As for what Izzo and the Spartan fans will be getting, Taylor said he is "a hard worker." He averaged 14 points on 70.3% shooting with 10.1 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game last season for Shawnee Mission Northwest, according to KCHSHoops.com.
"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."
Taylor joins a group that Izzo landed throughout the summer and fall. It started in July with Medlock, a 5-11, 165-pound point guard who left Wayne Memorial for Link. His father, Carlos Sr., played at Eastern Michigan. The younger Medlock is ranked No. 66 in the class and No. 7 at point guard, per 247.
“C.J. (Medlock Jr.) is just a dynamite-built point guard that’s got electrifying speed and can shoot the ball,” Izzo said on his pregame radio show Thursday. “He kind of reminds me of a Kalin Lucas-type of kid.”
Izzo added the 6-7, 220-pound Avent in October. The Bergen Catholic High product (from New Jersey) is No. 92 overall and No. 15 at power forward, per 247. And earlier this month, MSU landed the 6-4, 190-pound Jervis, a Bronx native who plays for Archbishop Stepinac in White Plains, New York. Jervis is No. 38 overall and No. 3 at shooting guard for 2026.
“Julius is kind of a swing forward, he can play a couple of different positions. His dad was a great player at Seton Hall and then a good player in the pros …” Izzo said. “The cherry of that group, is Jasiah Jervis, who probably will end up a McDonald’s (All-American). But 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. And when you can do those two things, that puts you in a special class.”
Adding Taylor makes it an even more special class for Izzo.
“My staff did a great job, my players did a great job,” Izzo said. “And we’ll see what that leads to in the future.”
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com . Follow him @chrissolari
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Ethan Taylor picks Michigan State basketball for Tom Izzo's 2026 class
