There was a small, but present, amount of panic among the Michigan State fanbase on Friday afternoon after Jeremy Fears Jr. declared for the 2026 NBA Draft.
The sophomore point guard just had an All-American season with Michigan State, leading the Spartans to a 27-8 record and second-place finish in the Big Ten standings. He also broke the single-season record for assists at Michigan State, and if not for Braden Smith’s outstanding finish to the year, he would have the all-time Big Ten record.
The thought of losing that caliber of player unexpectedly hit some Spartan fans hard, but then they realized that he’s likely returning and testing the draft waters is now an expected move for top college players, whether they plan on actually leaving or not.
Good news for Michigan State fans: Fears is planning on coming back.
According to David Harns of Spartans Illustrated, Fears is “firmly committed” to returning to Michigan State and has been working behind the scenes to position the team better for next year.
Sources familiar with the situation tell me that Jeremy Fears remains firmly committed to returning to Michigan State ("he has not wavered") and has been actively working behind the scenes to position the team for a stronger run next season.
— David Harns (@DavidHarns) April 10, 2026
“He has not wavered” in his plan to return to Michigan State next season and hearing that he’s working behind the scenes to position the team better for a run next year makes me think he’s also doing some transfer portal recruiting.
Again, this isn’t shocking news, but it’s going to talk the few fans who were still worried about Fears’ potential departure off the ledge.
Jeremy Fears Jr. is a consistent jumper away
While Fears isn’t quite ready for the NBA, he’s not far from being a legit prospect. He’s going to go through the draft process, receive some valuable feedback, face elite competition, and improve in the areas that need it. This whole process is going to make him a better player.
And that’s scary considering he’s already elite.
Fears averaged 15.2 points and 9.4 assists per game this past season and was a candidate for Big Ten Player of the Year, and now he’s going to come back even stronger with a better understanding of where he needs to get better.
Junior year Fears is going to be really fun to watch.