Projecting Role of MSU's Jasiah Jervis in Freshman Season

The pathway to an impact role is right there.

Michigan State has an impressive recruiting class coming in, ranked third in the entire country. Among the Spartans' four incoming recruits, Archbishop Stepinac (N.Y.) shooting guard Jasiah Jervis is ranked the highest. Jervis is ranked 26th overall in the class of 2026 on the 247Sports Composite. He picked MSU over N.C. State, Pittsburgh, Illinois, and Tennessee.

What To Expect in 2026

Stepinac’s Jasiah Jervis (25) during game against Iona during CHSAA AA quarterfinal at Fordham University in the Bronx March 1, 2026. Stepinac won the game 67-51. | Frank Becerra Jr./The Journal News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Of the four incoming freshmen, Jervis is the most likely to start. Carlos Medlock Jr. is behind Jeremy Fears Jr. at point guard (assuming Fears withdraws from the NBA Draft), Ethan Taylor will likely be behind Michigan State's anticipated transfer portal pickup at center, and Julius Avent will have to contend with Coen Carr at power forward.

The competition at shooting guard isn't quite as stiff. Michigan State shuffled between Kur Teng, Divine Ugochukwu, Trey Fort, and Jordan Scott last year. Scott showed the most promise during his first handful of starts, but struggled at the end of the year and might shift back into a small forward role due to MSU's depth in the backcourt.

If Jervis can come in and prove that he can shoot and score at a high level, it will be difficult to keep him off the court. Neither Teng nor Ugochukwu generates much offense for themselves off the dribble, but Jervis has a nice pull-up jumper that is smooth from both mid-range and from beyond the three-point arc. Tom Izzo probably won't like seeing Jervis' stepback three much, but that's in the bag, too.

What also cannot be discounted is that Jervis can catch and shoot threes while moving, which not many freshmen can do. That's not something you saw much of last year, even with Teng.

Outside Shooting Big Advantage

The three-point numbers from Jervis' high school career have been promising. He made 38% of his three-pointers across his four-year high school career and also made 78% of his free throws, according to his MaxPreps profile. He slumped a bit in his senior year, shooting 31% from deep, but that came after seasons of 40% from three as a junior and 45% as a sophomore.

Even if Jervis doesn't earn a starting role this season, I would at least expect him to be a key player off the bench, getting a fair amount of minutes if his defense holds up. Wing scoring was something the Spartans lacked last year. Jervis provides that.