Michigan State: "We pay players a lot more than most of you know": Tom Izzo defends his old-school ways amid NIL era

Tom Izzo is opening up about his recruiting techniques. Izzo has been the head coach at Michigan State for 30 years, and in the age of NIL and the transfer portal, he has continued to keep things old school.

The veteran head coach relies on recruiting high school stars and developing them as compared to getting talent from the transfer portal. Izzo reflected on his recruiting choices in a press conference.

“Those of you that write, or say, or listen to people say ‘Izzo doesn’t want to get in the transfer portal. Izzo doesn’t want players getting paid.’ I mean, we’re in the transfer portal, we’ve been in the transfer portal,” Izzo said.

“We pay players a lot more than most of you know and a lot less of what’s going on out there. I don’t know what you make but you make less than somebody in New York City and doing the same job, probably. So, that is the thing we battle every day.”

Izzo's techniques seem to work for the Spartans. Since NIL went into effect in 2021, Michigan State has yet to miss the NCAA Tournament, making a Sweet 16 appearance in 2023 and an Elite Eight appearance this season.

Despite his focus on recruiting high school talent, Izzo has implemented the transfer portal more as of late. Last offseason, Michigan State brought in transfer talent in Frankie Fielder and Szymon Zapala. Izzo has secured transfers Trey Fort and Kaleb Glenn ahead of next season.

Syndication: Detroit Free Press - Source: Imagn

Tom Izzo was named Big Ten Coach of the Year

The Spartans are coming off their most successful season since making a March Madness run to the Final Four in 2019. Izzo led his team to the conference regular season title and was named Big Ten Coach of the Year.

Izzo became the oldest coach to receive this honor at 70 years old. He also has the longest gap between Big Ten Coach of the Year wins, having last won the award in 2012.

“Well, number one, not with humility, but you don’t win these without your staff and your players," Izzo said of receiving the award. "I mean, they won the award. They do the brunt of the work, I just manage it. So, number one, I want to thank them all publicly.

“Because we preach to our players all the time, ‘If the team has success, the individuals within the team will have success.’ I’m a recipient of the success our team had.”

Michigan State entered the NCAA Tournament as a No. 2 seed and made a run to the Elite Eight before falling to top-ranked Auburn. Izzo's squad had an impressive season and will look to build on that momentum next season.

About the author

Lindsey Ware is a college sports journalist at Sportskeeda with over five years of experience working with publications such as The News & Observer, The Daily Tar Heel, Triangle Tribune and Cardiac Cane. She has also worked for Major League Baseball, The Holly Springs Salamanders, The Tri-City Chili Peppers, Tuffy Talk, Super Meteors Basketball, Just Good Network and Living Sport.

Lindsey has a Bachelor’s Degree in Media and Journalism from UNC Chapel Hill. Her education allowed Lindsey to gain experience in sports communication, which she honed in internships. Other than being a storyteller and sports fanatic, Lindsey is also a social media and marketing specialist.

Her favorite college team is UNC, although she grew up a N.C. State fan as both of her parents are Wolfpack alumni. Michael Jordan was a huge deal in North Carolina when Lindsey was growing up, and after a summer spent at UNC’s Sports Journalism Camp back in high school, Lindsey was set on being a Tar Heel.

Lindsey's favorite college coach of all time is Roy Williams. During her time attending UNC Chapel Hill and writing for The Daily Tar Heel, Lindsey was lucky enough to meet and speak with Williams a few times. He was like a celebrity on UNC’s campus and was beloved for his coaching style and success with the Tar Heels, accumulating three NCAA championship titles in 18 years.

When not watching or writing about sports, Lindsey enjoys reading, trying new restaurants and coffee shops, and spending time with my friends, family and dog. She also likes to journal, watch movies and paint.

Know More

Dawn Staley, Geno Auriemma, or Kim Mulkey - who is NCAAW's highest-paid coach? Find out here

Edited by Krutik Jain