Michigan State guard Foster Loyer has entered the transfer portal, a team spokesperson confirmed to The State News.
Loyer, a Clarkston, Michigan native and former Mr. Basketball of Michigan award winner came to MSU as a member of the class of 2018 as one of the top recruits in the state. The 6-foot point guard was listed as a four-star recruit according to 247Sports composite rankings and the No. 3 recruit in Michigan before coming to MSU – where he appeared in 86 games during his three seasons as a member of the program.
Maybe unsurprisingly, Loyer is the fourth member of the team to enter the portal since the Spartans season ended with an overtime loss to eventual Final Four team UCLA in the First Four of the NCAA Tournament. He joins Rocket Watts, Thomas Kithier and Jack Hoiberg as the next Spartan to leave East Lansing.
MSU will be losing a big chunk of their middle-classmen players in Aaron Henry, Watts, Hoiberg and Kithier, as well as veteran Joshua Langford, who announced he would not return to MSU or pursue a professional playing career.
Loyer was voted a captain this season, despite only averaging less than eight minutes per game in his first two seasons. He played an average of 16.6 minutes per game during the 2020-21 season and averaged 4.2 points and 2.3 assists per contest before his season was prematurely ended by a shoulder injury that eventually required surgery.
"Being a captain is an honor. It's an honor to represent such a prestigious and successful program," Loyer told The State News in a late-season interview. "And, with that comes a lot of responsibility."
The junior guard underwent surgery at the beginning of March after he was originally benched on Feb. 20 in the Spartans road game against Indiana.
"It's been interesting since I've been out," Loyer said. "It's interesting being at a little bit different of a perspective, having a little bit of a different role within the team. ... But, at the same time, it has been hard not being out there, being able to play with them, my guys and my teammates, because we've put in so much work together."
Loyer scored in double digits seven times during his three-year stint under Tom Izzo, most notably a 14 point outburst against Ohio State in the 2019 Big Ten Tournament.
As a junior, Loyer improved his scoring steadily from the previous two seasons in which he averaged 1.6 and 2.9 points per game. Loyer was a four-time All-American and Academic All-American in high school as well, winning two MHSAA State Titles during his final two years of high school ball.
Despite the loss, Michigan State men's basketball gained transfer guard Tyson Walker and is welcoming freshman Max Christie, Pierre Brooks II and freshman point guard Jaden Akins. With the recent departures, MSU now has several open scholarship spots.
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