Michigan State Coach Tom Izzo Rips Transfer Portal Culture, Calls Out Tampering in College Basketball
Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo, one of the most respected and longest-tenured figures in college basketball, has once again voiced strong criticism of the NCAA transfer portal and what he sees as an increasingly toxic culture around player movement. In a fiery press conference this week, Izzo addressed the rapid changes reshaping the college basketball landscape, calling out both tampering and what he views as the erosion of loyalty in the sport.
A Changing Era in College Basketball
Since the introduction of the NCAA’s transfer portal in 2018, student-athletes have been granted much greater freedom to move between programs without sitting out a year. While the change was originally celebrated as a victory for player empowerment, it has also created challenges. More than 2,000 players entered the men’s basketball transfer portal this offseason alone — a staggering number that has left coaches scrambling to rebuild rosters year after year.
Izzo, who has coached Michigan State since 1995 and led the Spartans to a national championship in 2000, believes the system has gone too far. “It’s free agency without rules,” he said. “Kids are leaving programs after one year, sometimes even midseason, and that’s not what college basketball should be about.”
The Tampering Allegations
What angers Izzo most, however, is what he calls widespread tampering — the illegal recruitment of players already on other teams’ rosters. Although the NCAA officially prohibits outside coaches or boosters from contacting athletes until they are in the portal, Izzo claims the rule is constantly broken.
“You’d be naïve to think tampering isn’t happening every single day,” he said. “There are phone calls, back channels, people whispering in kids’ ears. It’s destroying the trust between players, coaches, and programs. How can you build a team when everyone is trying to poach your players?”
Izzo did not single out specific schools but suggested that some of the biggest programs in the country are guilty of bending or breaking the rules.
Loyalty and Development at Risk
For Izzo, the biggest casualty of this new era is player development. He has long prided himself on taking young players, teaching them discipline, and molding them into stars over several years. That approach, he fears, is being undermined.
“Now, the moment a kid doesn’t get the minutes he wants, he’s in the portal. The moment a coach pushes him hard in practice, he’s gone. How do you teach toughness, perseverance, and accountability when leaving is the easiest option?” Izzo asked rhetorically.
He contrasted the current system with the careers of Spartan greats like Draymond Green, who spent four years in East Lansing and developed into a national champion before launching a successful NBA career.
A Debate That’s Not Going Away
Izzo’s comments add fuel to a heated national debate. Advocates of the portal argue that athletes deserve the same freedom coaches enjoy when switching jobs and that the system prevents players from being trapped in bad situations. Critics like Izzo, however, see it as a destabilizing force that turns college basketball into a revolving door.
As the NCAA faces mounting pressure to regulate tampering and balance the interests of athletes with the stability of programs, Izzo has made it clear he will continue to speak out. “I’m not against players having rights,” he said. “I’m against chaos. And right now, that’s exactly what we’ve got.”
