Patrick McCaffery, Payton Sandfort react as Michigan State standout Jaden Akins signs new deal ahead of NBA draft

Michigan State guard Jaden Akins finished his Spartans career on a high, leading the team to a regular-season Big Ten title and the Elite Eight of the 2025 NCAA Tournament before they were beaten by the No. 1-seeded Auburn Tigers. Akins played his four-year college basketball career with the Spartans.

On Tuesday, he announced on Instagram that he had signed up with sports agency "Priority Sports" ahead of the 2025 NBA draft in June. Akins had a message for NBA teams.

"I want NBA teams to know that I'm a hard worker," Jaden Akins said. "I'm someone who's always getting better every day."

Akins was not invited to the NBA draft combine in Chicago earlier this month and did not appear in any of the latest mock drafts by either ESPN, On3 or CBS Sports, fueling speculation that he could go undrafted in the upcoming draft.

Iowa Hawkeyes star Payton Sandfort and Butler Bulldogs forward Patrick McCaffery reacted to Jaden Akins' announcement on Instagram.

"All time Spartan Dawg," Sandfort wrote.

"Spartan dawggg," McCaffery wrote.

Payton's comment on IG

McCaffery's comment on IG

Jaden Akins a respected figure by the Spartans

Jaden Akins played for Farmington High School, Michigan and was a four-star prospect in the class of 2021 according to ESPN. He rejected offers from the Michigan Wolverines and Xavier Musketeers to play for his dream school, the Michigan State Spartans.

Akins was well-regarded in East Lansing and during his postgame news conference after the Spartans lost to Auburn, coach Tom Izzo paid tribute to his captain.

“To go from an offensive-offensive player, which he still is, but he's always been a decent defender," Izzo said. "But I think he became the guy that we put on the best player on the other team or sometimes the biggest wing guy. And I thought he handled it incredibly well and was a big reason for our success."

In his last season at Michigan State, Akins averaged 12.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists and was named to the Big Ten All-Defensive Team. During his postgame news conference after the Elite Eight elimination, his former teammate Tre Holloman summarized the respect that Akins elicited from his teammates.

“I think everybody has a lot of respect for Jaden and everything that he has been through,” Holloman said “I love him, man, that's my brother. I kind of dropped some tears in pregame and then when they said his name as he was as he was walking off the floor.”

In the era of the transfer portal, Jaden Akins stayed in East Lansing and fulfilled his childhood dream of playing for the Michigan State Spartans.