Tom Izzo on His Potential Successor: "I'm going to call Mateen Cleaves, Steve Smith, etc."

Tom Izzo doesn't know when he's going to be done coaching at Michigan State, but when he does he's going to consult with some of the former great players in the history of the Spartans' program about who his potential successor may be.

"I got no interest in getting out of it," Izzo said Monday on the College Hoops Today Podcast. "When I'm done, I'm going to talk to Mateen Cleaves, Steve Smith, Magic Johnson, and Draymond Green. I don't want to lose the culture that I've seen for 40 years as a GA on up. I think it's being lost somewhat now in college sports. Not just for me, but the players who come back and are a part of things. At least here at Michigan State, it's important. It may not be that way at other places."

Izzo has been the Spartans' head coach since 1995 and first joined Michigan State's program in 1983 as an assistant.

The Spartans are currently ranked 35th in the ROTHSTEIN 45 and will next face Kansas on Tuesday night in Atlanta as part of the Champions Classic.

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Jon Rothstein is not a FanDuel employee. The reporting of Rothstein is not subject to FanDuel's verification and does not represent the views or input of FanDuel. Betting based on Rothstein's reporting will not guarantee a successful outcome. Always do your own due diligence and use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.

Rothstein has been a college basketball insider for CBS Sports since 2010 and a contributor to the CBS Broadcast Network since 2016. He joined FanDuel in 2022 as a Content Creator. Rothstein is also the host of the College Hoops Today Podcast via Compass Media Networks.