Feb 8, 2025; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Michigan State Spartans forward Jaxon Kohler (0) and Michigan State Spartans center Carson Cooper (15) celebrate during the second half at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Dale Young-Imagn Images Dale Young-Imagn Images

How Will MSU's Big Men Fare in 2025?

Originally posted on Michigan State Spartans on SI
By Carter Landis | Last updated Aug 12, 2025 10:50 AM ET

The Michigan State Spartans enjoyed an impressive season from their platoon of big men.

Carson Cooper, Jaxon Kohler and Szymon Zapala all played important roles for a team that went to the Elite Eight. No big was as dominant as Draymond Green or Adreian Payne, but they played well in their own right.

Zapala will not return next season, but Cooper and Kohler are a year older as they enter their senior seasons. Expect both big men to be leaders for this Spartan squad.

Like last season, MSU’s bigs will face some of the best centers in college basketball. How will this Spartan group fare in the 2025-26 campaign?

Jaxon Kohler

It is hard to imagine Kohler not having an excellent season in his fourth year as a Spartan.

Hampered with injuries in his first two seasons, Kohler enjoyed a career-best year where he remained healthy for all 37 games. He averaged career-highs in points, rebounds, field goal and 3-point percentage, steals, and blocks.

He improved as a defender last season, becoming more than reliable on that side of the floor. He will hold his own even when he takes on some of the best bigs in the league, like Purdue’s Trey Kaufman-Renn or Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg.

Carson Cooper

Like Kohler, Cooper enjoyed the best season of his Spartan career.

Despite not starting a single game, Cooper saw upticks in points, rebounds, field-goal percentage and free-throw attempts. He was a defensive specialist off the bench who offered some offensive upside as a lob threat or pick-and-roll big.

Cooper did a nice job protecting the rim for this Spartan team last season. He will earn more starts next season if he expands on his offensive game.

Jesse McCulloch

The redshirt freshman will slot in as the team’s third big man next season, and there is much to be excited about regarding McCulloch.

The former four-star high school recruit is a 6-foot-10, 240-pound big who can stretch the floor and defend in space and at the rim. Tom Izzo called McCulloch a better defensive communicator than any guard he has ever seen when he signed in November of 2023.

MSU redshirted McCulloch last season because Izzo felt he was good enough to rely on for the next few seasons. The team will likely start him off slow, but once he gets going, he should be a serious contributor on both sides of the floor.

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This article first appeared on Michigan State Spartans on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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