Jeremy Fears Jr. impressed plenty of teams and turned a number of heads during the NBA Scouting Combine.
But the pros will have to wait for at least another year for him.
The Michigan State basketball All-American point guard announced Wednesday, May 27 will return for his fourth season with the Spartans, according to CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein, withdrawing from the 2026 NBA Draft after testing the process and taking it to nearly the last possible second.
That gives Tom Izzo back a returning captain for his redshirt junior season, along with senior swingman Coen Carr, and it gives MSU a clearcut top-10 roster and jolt toward chasing Izzo’s second national championship.
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Underclassmen had until May 27 to decide whether to remain in the NBA Draft or return to college.
Fears led the nation at 9.4 assists and was fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.86) in 2025-26 while leading the Spartans with 15.2 points and 32.5 minutes a game. He set MSU single-season records with 328 assists and his 9.4 per game average.
Michigan State Spartans coach Tom Izzo (right) talks with guard Jeremy Fears Jr. during an NCAA basketball game against the Colgate Raiders at Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan.
The native of Joliet, Illinois – who measured at 6 feet and 196.2 pounds at the NBA Scouting Combine on May 12 in Chicago – shot 43.1% from the field and 32.1% from 3-point range, made 88.5% of his free throws and added 2.4 rebounds and 1.3 steals. The Spartans went 27-8 overall and finished tied for second in the Big Ten at 15-5, then advanced to the Sweet 16 of the 2026 NCAA Tournament for the third straight season after Fears helped them to the Elite Eight in 2024-25.
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One of the big knocks on Fears was his jump shot. He made just 25.3% (19-for-75) from 3-point range over his first 25 games last season. However, that improved over the Spartans’ final 10 games to 47.1% (16-for-34), with Fears’ 2-point shooting dipping to 41% during that finishing stretch from 50.8% in the first 25 games as opponents became more physical with him as he attacked downhill on drives.
More: Michigan State roster reset: All eyes on Jeremy Fears Jr.’s return
During the season, Fears also became a polarizing figure in college basketball with multiple incidents of crossing the boundary of being an intense competitor and a danger to opponents. That included back-kicking Minnesota’s Langston Reynolds in the groin on Feb. 4, then doing the same to Michigan’s Elliot Cadeau on March 8.
Still, that did not prevent Fears from earning first-team All-Big Ten recognition, then landing spots on five different All-America teams. He submitted his name to test the NBA Draft process on April 10.
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By opting to return to college, Fears has the chance to become MSU’s first multiyear All-American since Cassius Winston in 2019 and 2020 and join Winston and Mateen Cleaves (1998-2000) as the Spartans’ only repeat All-Americans.
Despite losing Fears’ backups Divine Ugochukwu to transfer (LSU) and Denham Wojcik to graduation, Izzo brings in four-star freshman Carlos “C.J.” Medlock Jr. to learn behind Fears next season.
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Jeremy Fears Jr. returning to Michigan State basketball, skipping NBA
