Less than 48 hours separate us from a decision that will impact Michigan State for at least the next year. Jeremy Fears Jr. needs to make a draft deadline decision by Wednesday at 11:59 p.m. ET which means that we’re getting down to the wire here.
Several other top college basketball stars have announced that they’ll be returning next season and it has Michigan State fans a little nervous. Will Fears actually leave after 2.5 seasons or will he return for his junior year and help Tom Izzo push for a national title with his best roster since Cassius Winston was still donning the green and white?
It’s a decision that’s going to impact Michigan State immediately but it’ll also have a huge impact on college basketball. If he leaves, that may remove Michigan State from the list of title contenders. If he stays, that means that Michigan State will be a force to be reckoned with.
A ton is riding on this.
I’m not the only one who thinks this. According to College Basketball Report on Twitter, Fears’ NBA draft decision will be the most impactful of any remaining player who has yet to decide.
The 10 biggest NBA Draft decisions left that will shape the college basketball landscape before tomorrow’s deadline 🚨 pic.twitter.com/QcVHeoYUF9
— College Basketball Report (@CBKReport) May 26, 2026
Fears is about to make a more impactful decision than Koa Peat, Milan Momcilovic, Meleek Thomas, and Andrej Stojakovic. Those are some elite names who are going to be key contributors on their respective teams next year, but Fears’ departure would send shockwaves throughout the country.
Gut feeling says he’s coming back, but seeing guys like Flory Bidunga and John Blackwell announce their return over the past few days has everyone antsy.
Jeremy Fears Jr.‘s decision is taking longer than expected
Fears’ decision is going to either make Michigan State a legit national title contender or push Izzo one step closer to retirement. Losing the guy that he compared to his all-time great point guard Mateen Cleaves would be a punch in the gut and it’d be hard for the Hall of Famer to recover.
Obviously he feels good about Carlos Medlock Jr. at point guard and he’s even been dubbed as a future NBA player by college basketball experts, but he can’t be expected to shoulder the entire load as a true freshman. Losing Fears and throwing Medlock to the wolves would be a painful sight.
When Fears entered his name into the draft while maintaining his college eligibility, the process felt like it would be nothing more than a formality. He’d go in, get feedback, and return.
Now that he’s gotten a taste of what it would take to play in the NBA, he’s hooked. He may be OK with remaining in the NBA draft even with a second-round grade because that’s the highest that I’ve seen him on any mock draft. Most mocks don’t even have him listed.
No one expected to be waiting until the very last day and the final hours for Fears to decide, but here we are. This process has been a rollercoaster, but it comes to an end one way or another on Wednesday.
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