MSU's Fears and Carr Could Take Interesting Offseason Path

Two of the Spartans' best players have an interesting choice to make this offseason.

Michigan State's Coen Carr looks on during a game against Michigan at the Breslin Center on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

Everything resets every offseason in college sports.

Tom Izzo has done a decent job at insulating Michigan State from the chaos of the transfer portal that sometimes results in teams having nearly entirely new rosters every season, but you can never assume anything these days. Jeremy Fears Jr. and Coen Carr don't feel like guys who are going to drop everything and go somewhere else, but that doesn't mean another option isn't in front of them.

Could Fears, Carr Declare for NBA Draft?

Michigan State Spartans guard Jeremy Fears Jr. yells to the crowd during a game at the Breslin Center against the Iowa Hawkeyes on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

The ultimate goal for most college players is to reach the NBA. Fears' younger brother, Jeremiah, is having a nice rookie season with the New Orleans Pelicans, averaging 13.0 points per game.

There is an option for both Fears and Carr to declare for the NBA Draft while maintaining their collegiate eligibility. This can actually be a very beneficial process, because it will allow Fears and Carr to talk with and work with NBA teams, who can provide honest outside evaluations and valuable advice on what they need to do to either get drafted or improve their stock.

Plenty of players do this now. Jaden Akins declared for the NBA Draft following his junior season at Michigan State before deciding to come back for his senior year with the Spartans in 2024-25. Akins didn't get drafted by an NBA team, but he's finding a lot of success with the Motor City Cruise in the G League, averaging 14.7 points and 4.8 assists per game.

The deadline for someone with college eligibility remaining to withdraw their name from the NBA Draft was late April last year, a couple of weeks before the NBA Draft Lottery and Draft Combine. I couldn't seem to find dates for this season yet, but the timeline will likely be about the same.

The Risk

Michigan State's Coen Carr watches a free throw go up during a game against North Dakota State during the first round of the NCAA Tournament at the KeyBank Center on Thursday, March 19, 2026. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

Of course, there's the scary-to-MSU possibility of those players deciding to remain in the draft. Both players are elite at something that could entice at least one NBA team to consider using a pick on each player. Fears is an elite passer, and Carr is simply an athletic freak.

Carr would probably be the more popular prospect. That athleticism is something that a coach cannot teach. Even without a reliable jump shot yet, his dunks might give teams enough patience to give him the time to work on other skills. Fears, as a guard, is probably going to need to develop his three-point shot more before he becomes NBA-ready. He also likely has a larger NIL deal waiting for him in East Lansing, which also impacts the decision.

(L to R) Michigan State basketball players Coen Carr and Jeremy Fears Jr. have a laugh talking about their coach Tom Izzo during a press conference at Capital One Arena in Washington DC on Thursday, March 26, 2026. | Eric Seals / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images