One of the most prized recruits of all-time for Michigan State basketball is transferring to a conference rival.
Former Spartan and five-star prospect Xavier Booker announced on Friday night that he will be transferring to UCLA. The news broke a few hours after one recruiting analyst submitted a crystal ball prediction for the Bruins to land this former McDonald's All-American prospect.
Booker had an underwhelming career with the Spartans, only starting five games during his two seasons at Michigan State. He averaged 4.3 points and two rebounds per game during his Spartan career.
Despite things not working out at Michigan State, Booker was still considered a fan favorite and appeared to always be committed to the program. So it's somewhat bittersweet to see him leave for another Big Ten team.
With the Booker transfer news hitting social media on Friday night, there were some notable fan and media reactions. Check out some of the best reactions from across social media platform X on Booker's decision to commit to UCLA:
Xavier Booker will be moving across the country, but remains a Big Ten basketball player. He will be continuing his basketball and academic career at UCLA.
— Emmett Matasovsky (@E_Matasovsky57) April 4, 2025
Best of luck and safe travels to Xavier! Thank you for your contributions in the green and white! https://t.co/avH075WDSy
Early prediction on UCLA’s 2025-26 starting five:
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) April 4, 2025
Donovan Dent, Skyy Clark, Eric Dailey, Tyler Bilodeau, Xavier Booker
Bruins are banking that they can resurrect Booker like they did with Johnny Juzang when he transferred from Kentucky. https://t.co/6zZ5w5yu16
Need to see a Cam Ward vs Xavier Booker matchup at the Bres next season pic.twitter.com/mUfUHYS38b
— Eric (@DETszn) April 5, 2025
Wish him the best! Honestly shocked he decided to stay in the BIG 10 with his play style
— Takarri (@DrezTakarri) April 4, 2025
Xavier Booker playing for Mick Cronin of all people makes the least amount of sense of any portal rumor I've read, so it's probably likely to be true since nothing ever makes sense with the portal.
— Basketball Jones (@B1GBasketball1) April 4, 2025
Love Xavier Booker. He’s not a power conference starter yet
— Jordan Stocks (@StockTalks21)Save Story Topics in this Story
