Michigan State men’s basketball signs No. 3-ranked 2023 recruiting class

The Michigan State men’s basketball program has officially signed the No. 3-ranked 2023 recruiting class, according to both 247Sports and Rivals. The Spartans rank only behind Duke and Kentucky.

Head coach Tom Izzo and his staff have put together an incredible 2023 class that includes four players ranked in the top-75 in the nation.

The class is headlined by power forward/center Xavier Booker out of Cathedral High School in Indianapolis. Booker is ranked as the No. 3 overall player in the 2023 class, and the No. 1 center. He is also the highest-rated prospect Michigan State has ever landed, according to 247Sports’ historical Composite rankings. Booker likely projects as a power forward at MSU, but at 6-foot-10 and with a nice shooting touch, he has a lot of versatility.

The promising class also includes point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. (No. 34 overall prospect), small forward/power forward Coen Carr (No. 59 overall prospect) and shooting guard/small forward Gehrig Normand (No. 73 overall prospect).

Here is what Izzo had to say about the class as a whole:

“As we get ready to go on our trip to San Diego (to play Gonzaga), nothing is more exciting than having the four players that my staff did such a job recruiting and my players did a good job,” Izzo said. “We got four guys that are ‘OKG’ – Our Kinda Guys. They were guys that get along, they kind of united together, all four of them spent a lot of time talking to each other. Coen Carr was the last one, Gehrig (Normand) from down in Texas, he was one of the early ones. Of course Book (Xavier Booker) down in Indianapolis is the, I guess, marquee in the class, but Jeremy Fears is probably the ringmaster. He’s the Mateen Cleaves, the Magic Johnson of the bunch. He just brings a unity and a confidence. He’s an extroverted personality who I think will fit in here very well.”

Below is more information on each signee:

Xavier Booker, power forward/center

• High School: Cathedral High School (Indianapolis, Indiana)
• Rating: Five-star
• Height: 6-foot-10
• Weight: 215 pounds
• Position rank: No. 1 center in 2023 class, per 247Sports Composite, and No. 1 power forward, per Rivals
• State rank: No. 1 prospect in Indiana in 2023 class (247Sports)
• Overall rank: No. 1 prospect nationally in 2023 class, per Rivals, and No. 3 prospect nationally, per 247Sports Composite
• Other notable offers: Duke, Kansas, Gonzaga, Indiana, Michigan, Purdue, Illinois, Ohio State, Iowa, Auburn, Clemson, Oregon, Notre Dame, Texas, Kansas State, USC, LSU, Miami (FL.), Missouri, TCU, Louisville, Memphis and many others

Izzo on Booker: “Xavier Booker is the marquee player in this class at 6-foot-10, with a 7-foot-4 wingspan. He can really shoot the ball, and he reminds us a lot of a younger Jaren Jackson Jr. He’s a player that can do a lot of versatile things. He’s got versatility, he’s got athleticism, he’s got a solid shot and he has a great understanding of the game. He has been very well-coached, and he’s won a state championship, so he knows what winning is all about. As he gets stronger — I think we’ve only seen a small portion of what this kid is going to be able to do. I’m excited to have him. He too comes from an incredible family. His mom videotapes every game. I have more fun watching her in the stands sometimes. We have had some great success with kids out of Indianapolis, and I hope that Xavier will be the next great one.”

Jeremy Fears Jr., point guard

• High School: Joliet West (Joliet, Illinois)
• Rating: Four-star
• Height: 6-foot
• Weight: 180 pounds
• Position rank: No. 6 point guard in 2023 class, per 247Sports Composite, and No. 11 point guard, per Rivals
• State rank: No. 1 prospect in Illinois in 2023 class (247Sports)
• Overall rank: No. 34 prospect nationally in 2023 class, per 247Sports Composite, and No. 37 prospect nationally, per Rivals
• Other notable offers: Kansas, Gonzaga, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Maryland, Iowa, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Kansas State, Missouri, Mississippi, Memphis, Creighton and many others

Izzo on Fears: “Jeremy Fears is the straw that stirs the drink. He’s the pied piper for everybody in the country. He reminds me so much of Mateen Cleaves as far as how he gets along with everybody. Tough, rugged, and competitive kid, but as much as he is all of those things, he is friends with everybody. Everybody knows of him, and everybody loves to talk to him. He has done very well with USA Basketball, and he is the consummate point guard. He is improving his shooting every day, but he’s as good a quarterback as any we’ve had here. I guess Mateen is who I recognize the most, even though he isn’t quite built like him, but he’s tough as nails. He has an ability to make other people around him better than they actually are, and that’s a quality that coaches are always looking for. His family has been up here a couple of times, and his dad was a very good college basketball player, so we are excited to have Jeremy.”

Coen Carr, power forward

• High School: Legacy Early College (Greenville, South Carolina)
• Rating: Four-star
• Height: 6-foot-7
• Weight: 200 pounds
• Position rank: No. 12 power forward in 2023 class, per 247Sports Composite, and No. 17 power forward, per Rivals
• State rank: No. 1 prospect in South Carolina in 2023 class (247Sports)
• Overall rank: No. 59 prospect nationally in 2023 class, per 247Sports Composite, and No. 87 prospect nationally, per Rivals
• Other notable offers: Tennessee, Indiana, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Connecticut, South Carolina, North Carolina State, LSU, Pittsburgh, Vanderbilt and others

Izzo on Carr: “Coen Carr is 6-foot-6, kind of a swingman (originally) from Georgia. He’s really here because of his mother, Cynthia. When we had him on his official visit, he was unbelievable. He got along with everybody. But his mother was super. She was playing games with us all, and kind of made everybody feel comfortable. On the official visit, I got a chance to meet his dad, too. We have a saying here, ‘Our Kinda Guy,’ but we also look for ‘Our Kind of Family.’ Coen Carr has an incredible athletic ability and is improving his shooting every day. He has risen in the standings because he plays hard. We’re really excited about him.”

Gehrig Normand, shooting guard/small forward

• High School: Birdville (North Richland Hills, Texas)
• Rating: Four-star
• Height: 6-foot-6
• Weight: 180 pounds
• Position rank: No. 8 shooting guard, per Rivals, and No. 17 small forward in 2023 class, per 247Sports Composite
• State rank: No. 4 prospect in Texas in 2023 class (247Sports)
• Overall rank: No. 48 prospect nationally in 2023 class, per Rivals, and No. 73 prospect nationally, per 247Sports Composite
• Other notable offers: Tennessee, Auburn, Texas, TCU, Wisconsin, Illinois, Oklahoma State, Missouri, Kansas State, Colorado, Colorado State, New Mexico and others

Izzo on Normand: “Gehrig Normand is a 6-foot-5 guard from down in Texas, not far from Matt McQuaid. That’s intriguing, because they are similar types of players, and now Matt is on our staff. Gehrig has an incredible family. His dad actually played some college football. He has a great, competitive nature. He’s got a brother who is a good football player, too, so he comes from an athletic family. With Gehrig, we’ve got a guy who can shoot the ball, and he’s also a very good athlete. He’s another personality that seems to get along with everybody, and that’s really the theme of this whole class. We’re excited to get another guy from Texas. Matt McQuaid was a great find for us, and I think Gehrig Normand will be right there with him.”

For more on what each player brings to the table for Michigan State, check out The Only Colors’ scouting reports on each signee:

• Five-star power forward Xavier Booker
• Four-star point guard Jeremy Fears Jr.
• Four-star small forward/power forward Coen Carr
• Four-star shooting guard/small forward Gehrig Normand