March 26, 2025; San Francisco, CA, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks head coach John Calipari addresses the media in a press conference during NCAA Tournament West Regional Practice at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Legendary CBB Coach's Portal Solution Would Rejuvenate MSU Culture

Originally posted on Michigan State Spartans on SI
By Tom Cavanaugh | Last updated Jul 19, 2025 12:04 PM ET

The Michigan State Spartans could see their future change if recent comments from legendary college basketball coach John Calipari come to fruition. He is lobbying for players to have the ability to transfer schools just one time, making it easier for teams to retain players year-to-year.

Calipari recently joined college basketball insider Jon Rothstein on the CBS College Basketball YouTube page and discussed his expectations for his Arkansas team and the transfer portal. Calipari issued some great sound bites during the interview, giving his strong thoughts on the situation.

"I think kids should be able to transfer, they should," Calipari said. "But you can't transfer four times, and each time you're transferring to make money. Or, you ready for this one? You redshirt, take the money, and the leave. You can't -- we got to get our arms around this.

"It's very simple - you should have a free year. After you stay in school for one year, you got to stay there one year and play. And then, if you choose to transfer, you get it one time. So, either you made a mistake, the coach wasn't honest with you, there was a guy on the team that was better than you thought, you're going to be behind him, and blah blah blah. I get it, but after that, you sit out."

Calipari is essentially saying that players get one free pass to transfer schools, and if they want to make another move, they must sit out a full season following the second transfer. There are pros and cons to this scenario, but one that would certainly benefit the culture of Michigan State basketball.

Tom Izzo builds his program around culture and convincing his players that if they stay and trust the process of multiple years in East Lansing, they will find both collegiate and professional success. This is how the Spartans have maintained success throughout the past 30 years under Izzo.

The downside is players like Samford transfer Trey Fort or Florida Atlantic transfer Kaleb Glenn would not have been able to play at MSU this season. Fort will be playing at his fourth school in the past four years, while Glenn played at Louisville before transferring to FAU. Both would have sat out a year.

Calipari is more of a one-and-done head coach from his legacy at the University of Kentucky and the monster first-round talents that he was able to produce after their freshman years. But he is still in the business of recruiting at a high level and would like players to have some restrictions when transferring.

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