Xavier Booker signs with Michigan State Spartans

On3 Consensus five-star recruit Xavier Booker has made it official, signing his National Letter of Intent to Michigan State on Wednesday.

The 6-foot-10 center from Indianapolis (Ind.) Cathedral committed to the Spartans back in July, beating out the likes of Indiana, Purdue, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Cincinnati.

Michigan State has also landed commitments from four-stars Jeremy Fears, Coen Carr, and Gehrig Normand.

Booker ranks as the No. 7 overall prospect in the in the 2023 class, according to the On3 Consensus, the average ranking from all four major recruiting media companies. 

Why Booker chose Michigan State

“Since the day (Michigan State) offered me, they’ve been consistent in recruiting me,” Booker said. “They never gave up on me. They’ve been to some of my best games and some of the worst. Michigan State wasn’t one of the schools to back off. A lot of the schools did that. A lot of the schools just backed away and I didn’t hear from them. Then I’d from here from them a couple of months later when I was playing well again. When I played badly, Michigan State was the only school to contact me afterward and see how I’m feeling, giving me constructive criticism. I know they believe in me. They don’t just want me just for the program, but they actually care about me as a person and I really believe that. I want to surround myself with more people like that.”

“The main thing that stands out to me about Michigan State is my relationship with coach (Tom) Izzo and coach (Mark) Montgomery. I have a really good relationship with Izzo. I trust him to be my coach and to guide me all the way to the next level.”

Scouting Summary

Xavier Booker is a lengthy lefty who just moves in a way most his size does not. He has a lot of pop in his step and fluidity in his movements. While he is a more perimeter-based big right now, you see the ability to alter shots and the rim and rebound in traffic. He will need to get stronger and maybe pay more attention to the rebounding, but there is upside as a switchable type defender. Xavier Booker is a good spot shooter with consistent three-point range. He can push the break and has counters when he gets cut off, but he will need to work on not getting too deep with the ball. He runs the floor well. Strength will be a bit thing, will help with his stamina. There is immense upside here. – On3’s Jamie Shaw, National Recruiting Analyst