The offseason is a time for players to work on areas of their game that they feel were shortcomings the previous season, and also build on their strengths. For Jeremy Fears Jr., this is arguably the most important offseason of his young career, and it sounds like he's taking advantage.
The redshirt sophomore has had a bit of a crazy college career thus far.
As a true freshman, Fears was showing signs that he would be Tom Izzo's next great point guard. He was really solid during non-conference play, and you could tell he was getting more comfortable running the point behind AJ Hoggard. Then, he was shot in the leg during a holiday break back home, and missed the rest of his first season.
Fears got a medical redshirt and returned as a redshirt freshman, and it took him a little while to shake off the rust. He still played well, and helped lead Michigan State to a Big Ten title and Elite Eight appearance, but you could tell he still wasn't his old self.
This offseason, however, Izzo says that he's getting all of his old athleticism back.
On Monday, after the team's first practice of the season, Izzo told the media that Fears has increased his vertical by about five inches from last year.
Izzo says Jeremy Fears Jr. has increased his vertical by 5" from last year when he was still getting back from being shot. "He's healthy, he's had a great summer and I think he's ready to go."
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) September 22, 2025
Izzo said Fears is healthy, he's had a great summer, and he's ready to go. Adding five inches to his vertical is only going to make this team more athletic and scary in the fast break.
How are teams going to guard a point guard that can either throw a perfect fast-break lob or drive to the hoop himself and finish at the rim with explosiveness? It's not going to be easy.
Michigan State is getting scarier than expected this offseason.