The No. 32 ranked player in the 2022 class, Boakye’s future in East Lansing presented an uncertainty from the time he committed; rumors that he might reclassify to the 2021 class ensued, as the No. 1 recruit from his class Emoni Bates is believed to be debating the same option. 

The Spartans, as it stands right now, do not have enough available scholarships to house Boakye and Bates together, should they each decide to reclassify.

This may have played into Boakye’s decision, coupled with the saturation of big men MSU already has on the roster. 

This current scholarship construction assumes, of course, that the likes of junior forward Aaron Henry will return for his senior year rather than forego the NBA draft, and that the prospective “odd men out” like junior forward Marcus Bingham Jr. and sophomore forward Julius Marble do not explore the transfer portal.

He would seemingly have to lobby for playing time amid this cluster, especially under head coach Tom Izzo, who has not been known to grant highly touted freshman significant minutes immediately upon their arrival. Boakye capped arguably Izzo's best recruiting streak ever, as he looked to join 2021 guards five-star guard Max Christie and four-star Jaden Akins, with four-star forward Pierre Brooks II arriving in 2022.

This, along with the Spartan's continued Big Ten struggles, likely influenced Boakye’s consideration. 

Coming off their worst home loss under Izzo, Michigan State returns home to face Purdue (13-8, 8-6 Big Ten) to whom, prior to their COVID respite, the Spartans forfeited a comfortable second-half advantage in a loss at the Breslin Center on Jan. 8.