Since MSU’s Elite Eight loss, seven Spartans have either left the team or are expected to. Seniors Jaden Akins, Frankie Fidler and Szymon Zapala exhausted their eligibility, while Xavier Booker transferred to UCLA and Tre Holloman committed to NC State. Gehrig Normand entered the portal without a destination yet, and Jase Richardson declared for the NBA Draft, where he’s projected as a top-15 pick.

The need for transparency

The transfer portal officially opened during the NCAA Tournament, but Izzo said that agents and schools are contacting players year-round — offering money, playing time, and promises. It’s a system he loathes, one he believes is full of “BS” and severely lacking transparency.

"I know, positively, that people are talking to people all year long. If that happens on my staff, people will be gone," Izzo said. "The biggest concern is that these guys have had people in their ears all year long. The portal is open 24/7, 365 days a year. Let’s make the portal a real opening. Let’s make it a big deal. And we know that’s the day you can start talking to kids."

Izzo supports players making money through NIL — his own athletes benefit, just like those at other top programs. But he wants clearer rules, stronger guardrails and more protection for student-athletes navigating both the transfer portal and the online scrutiny that impacts mental health.

The pressure athletes receive daily is "off the charts," Izzo said. The meddling in their lives, as seen on social media, has made their lives more difficult and confusing. It was seen after the four players entered the portal, or the NBA Draft, and is seen throughout the season, win or loss. It’s seen through agents and coaches trying to lure in other players throughout the season, outside of the dedicated transfer portal time frame.

"The system was set up without any proper guidelines. It has not helped any players make decisions," Izzo said. "I don’t think they’re happy if there are people in their ears (saying) that things could be better somewhere else. These kids are getting recruited (all) year long. They’re getting lied to by some, and getting told the truth by others."

A lack of transparency is hurting the league in Izzo’s eyes.

"I wish there was total transparency, because it’d be nice to know if a kid gets offered this from MSU and I was working at Northern Michigan, what would I have to pay him?" Izzo said, giving an explanation of how transparency should work. "Is there any way we can keep people from getting to our kids all year long?"

Izzo admitted that MSU didn’t manage the portal well from a planning standpoint, and said his staff didn’t do a good enough job preparing for its impact throughout the season.

"Now we’re dealing with the crisis of it," Izzo said. "I do not think the system is very good. I do not like no transparency."

Why players left MSU

Izzo emphasized that his priority is always the players — even when they choose to leave the program. All four — Gehrig Normand, Xavier Booker, Tre Holloman and Jase Richardson — met with him before making their decisions, and Izzo said he supports them fully, just as he has with past transfers.

"I told them, if you don’t wanna be here, come on and tell me," Izzo said.

His frustration isn’t with the players themselves. It’s with the outside noise — the fans, media and others — who criticize their choices without knowing the full story.

"You have no reason and no understanding of why a kid made a decision," Izzo said. "It’s not as easy as they think. Not as easy for the coaches and definitely not as easy for the players. Players are dealing with stuff that’s going to change their lives, and those are lifetime decisions."

Normand’s decision stemmed from personal reasons. Izzo said the redshirt freshman felt "homesick" almost immediately after arriving in East Lansing and wanted to be closer to home. Despite suffering an early-season injury, Normand made noticeable strides in his development — earning praise from Izzo for the work he put in behind the scenes.

Booker’s departure was expected. The former five-star recruit struggled to find consistent playing time and never fully found his rhythm within the program. While his physical tools were undeniable, Izzo said Booker lacked confidence and the passion needed to break into the starting lineup.

But it wasn’t enough, and Izzo blamed himself.

"I failed. I love Book. I just couldn’t get enough out of him," Izzo said. "Deep down, I think there is one hell of a basketball player in there, and my job is to get that out of him. And I didn’t get that done. I have to take responsibility. It just didn’t translate into some things."

Holloman’s transfer was the most surprising to Izzo. The junior guard had an emotional end to the season — shoving Michigan players off the Spartan logo on Senior Day, crying in the locker room after the Elite Eight loss and expressing a deep sense of responsibility after the loss to Auburn.

It came after he said he felt like he let his team down during the loss. But this is just another example of the statement Izzo made: fans, other schools, or really anyone but the player, have no idea what’s going on with them. Even though Izzo said he was surprised by Holloman wanting to transfer, he knew it was no reason for people to spew anything online. 

"Nobody knows anything. We just ripped them, and I thought that was ridiculous. I think there was a lot more to it all the time," Izzo said. "I completely understood two of them. The third one, I didn’t understand as much, but I respect it."

Richardson was different from the rest. A projected top-15 pick in the NBA Draft, he was encouraged by Izzo to enter the process before the season even began. Izzo called it a full-circle moment, having coached both Jase and his father, Jason Richardson, who helped MSU win the national championship in 2000.

"Just think of the privilege I’ve had. I had his father, who won a national championship and two Big Ten championships, and his son, who won a Big Ten championship and played in the Elite Eight, and they both got to fulfill their dream of going to the NBA," Izzo said. "I think he can be ready to play."

Transfers also come with a mark of self-realization. It’s a way of reflecting on their time at MSU and the future of MSU basketball with Izzo as the leader. He knows he’s still going to get good players, he’ll pay and play them as much as he can, and support them. But it’s whether or not that support is good enough, or rather a right fit, that will continue to attack colleges like MSU in the transfer portal era. 

"I’m going to try to do all the things that I can do to give them a chance to live their dream. I’m not perfect, they’re not perfect. I make mistakes, they make decisions," Izzo said. "What I fear most is when a kid doesn’t have success here, I look in the mirror and say, 'What didn’t I do?' I never give up on a guy. I don’t give up on people, but I’m not perfect either."

Izzo won’t give up

Now in his 30th season as head coach, Izzo made it clear he’s not ready to step away. The challenges of the transfer portal era haven’t extinguished his passion — they’ve only complicated his mission.

But his vision has become foggy because of the transfer portal and its consequences. There are barely any set-in-stone rules for the portal, and with agents and schools able to try and get players year-round, it’s built a foundation of uneasiness and a lack of confidence. As a coach who values four-year players like Akins, it’s become harder to create lasting relationships for people to stay there all four years — or don’t stay all four years. 

"I’m still fist-fighting the fight," Izzo said. "I have no interest in hanging it up when I still have the passion and love for the game."

Izzo often gets labeled as "old school" — someone unwilling to adapt to a transfer-heavy model. But he pushed back against that idea.

To him, it’s not about clinging to the past. It’s about building something with integrity, consistency and structure.

"I’m not old school. I just think there’s a process and a right way to do things," Izzo said.  

As Izzo and his team navigate the portal this off-season after seven players have left, he’s still fighting the fight, in his words, he’s still in the battle, and the pay-off, or lack thereof, will be seen in six months.

"I think I struggled for some time to figure out who am I fighting, where am I fighting, and for what reason am I fighting?" Izzo said. "I’m still living the dream. Is it a little bit foggy? Hell yeah. Is it a little bit harder to navigate? Hell yeah."

In this new era of college basketball — one defined by quick decisions, constant roster turnover and outside influences — Izzo continues to lead with conviction, even if the road feels unfamiliar. His message hasn’t changed. He’s still focused on building character, helping young men grow, and giving them every chance to succeed, whether at MSU or elsewhere.

That honesty is what defines Izzo. Even in a system he fundamentally disagrees with, he owns his shortcomings, supports his players and remains committed to the Spartan way — however foggy the future might seem.

The challenge ahead is no longer just about wins and losses. It’s about surviving the system and finding ways to build trust amid uncertainty. But if Izzo has made anything clear this offseason, it’s this: he’s not done building, not done leading and certainly not done fighting.