Jaxon Kohler’s time with Michigan State basketball is done, but a return to college might be in his future.
The big man who played the past four years for Tom Izzo reportedly is taking advantage of federal court injunctions and entering his name in the transfer portal, according to On3.com. Kohler went undrafted but played for his home state Utah Jazz during the NBA Summer League in July on a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 deal.
Kohler averaged six points and 5.3 rebounds in 16.1 minutes in four appearances with the Jazz, including an 11-point, seven rebound performance against Memphis and former teammate Carson Cooper on July 6.
MSU believed both Kohler and Cooper would not return to college (Cooper said in July that he plans to stay with the Grizzlies) and filled the Spartans’ roster for the 2026-27 season. Then in June, the NCAA enacted a new “five-in-five” eligibility rule that attempted to exclude the class of 2022 and apply it to athletes who enrolled beginning in 2023 and beyond.
However, a number of class action lawsuit have resulted in injunctions – rulings coming from Colorado, North Carolina and Ohio, among them – against the NCAA’s exclusion have opened the door for a potential return to college for those players who thought their eligibility ended last season. That includes Kohler and former MSU teammate Tre Holloman, who was part of the lawsuit in North Carolina after playing last season for North Carolina State. Litigation remains ongoing.
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Kohler earned an honorable-mention All-Big Ten nod last season and led the Spartans with 8.9 rebounds a game while finishing second at 12.5 points, both career highs for the four-year senior. The 6-foot-10, 245-pound native of American Fork, Utah, shot 38.9% from 3-point range (58-for-149) and 50% overall from the floor, along with 86.9% at the free-throw line.
For his career, Kohler averaged 6.9 points and 5.7 rebounds in 127 career games. The former four-star recruit also is a 78% career free-throw shooter.
According to CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein, Kohler is considering Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville and BYU.
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Jaxon Kohler reportedly entering transfer portal to pursue 5th year