Michigan State's coach Tom Izzo, left, jokes with injured transfer Kaleb Glenn during the first day of basketball practice on Monday, Sept. 22, 2025, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Tom Izzo Updates Status of MSU's Kaleb Glenn

Originally posted on Michigan State Spartans on SI
By Jacob Cotsonika | Last updated Jan 23, 2026 11:00 AM ET

EAST LANSING, Mich. --- One of Michigan State's new players will not be playing this season, but is starting to establish a defined role within the team.

MSU forward Kaleb Glenn, who transferred in from Florida Atlantic this past offseason and is officially out for the season with a knee injury, is making great progress in his recovery. Glenn is well enough that he is now getting some reps with the Spartans' scout team.

Wesley Hale-Imagn Images

"That was the first time [he's done that]," Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo said after practice Thursday evening. "First time he's really went through live stuff. I don't know [what Glenn thinks], I didn't get the chance to talk to him after. But the guys are all fired up for him, and he's a pretty good player."

It's a bit easy to forget now, especially with MSU currently ranked 10th nationally and 17-2 overall, but Glenn was probably the Spartans' biggest transfer portal addition this past offseason. He scored 12.6 points per game at FAU in 2024-25 while shooting 41% from three. He would likely be a significant member of Michigan State's rotation if he were healthy.

Why Glenn is Still Out for the Year

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With Glenn getting back to practicing so soon, it doesn't seem out of the question to think that he'd theoretically be healthy enough to play by the end of the season. Whether that is the case or not, it wouldn't be wise to thrust Glenn back into action for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, it's probably for the best not give Glenn any sort of deadlines in his recovery. While he seems to be getting better rapidly, just let him continue to heal during the offseason to ensure that he's back at full health for the 2026-27 season.

Secondly, it's just better to just hold onto that additional year of eligibility, anyways. Glenn will have two years of eligibility after taking his redshirt for this season. It also just makes more business sense to hold onto that extra season if you're Glenn, too.

Lastly, it would probably just disrupt Michigan State's current chemistry and rotation. MSU is already a deep enough group, with 11 guys or so playing every single game. That's difficult enough for Izzo to figure out, and tweaks are still being made. Adding a 12th real member to the playing group would partially reset the whole process, which cannot really happen with February and March right around the corner.