It's only July, but Jeremy Fears Jr. is already mapping out Final Four goals

Michigan State guard Jeremy Fears Jr. (1) dribbles against Ole Miss during the second half of the Sweet 16 round of NCAA tournament at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Ga. on Friday, March 28, 2025.
Michigan State guard Jeremy Fears Jr. (1) dribbles against Ole Miss during the second half of the Sweet 16 round of NCAA tournament at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Ga. on Friday, March 28, 2025. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

We are in the dead middle of the summer and there's not much going on around Michigan State athletics. The Spartans are done with official visits, Moneyball took the week off, and Big Ten Media Days (for football) are still weeks away.

It's the quietest time of the year. But this is when athletes make the most offseason progression.

Heck, Jeremy Fears Jr. was just in the gym in East Lansing earlier this week and he set a lofty goal for both himself and the program. He took a picture of the Final Four banners at the practice facility and posted it to Instagram with the caption "tryan add one more".

It was 11:02 p.m. when he posted this to his story, which means he's working in the gym until all hours of the night, trying to improve his game. And apparently he's feeling motivated.

Michigan State has a long history of elite point guards leading the program to the promised land, and Fears is just trying to be the latest. He's trying to join the elite list that includes players like Magic Johnson, Mateen Cleaves, Kalin Lucas, Denzel Valentine, and Cassius Winston. He's just trying to add another banner to that wall, but Michigan State fans will take another 2-3 from him.

Tom Izzo has coached some special guards throughout his tenure as head coach and Fears has a chance to join them, especially if this late-night work ethic and motivation continues.

If Fears can add a jumper and a consistent offensive game, we're going to see him become one of the best point guards to ever play for Izzo. I would put some money on that happening.