MSU Starting Search for Possible Fears Replacement on Recruiting Trail
In this story:
Michigan State appears to be preparing for the possibility of its best player leaving after the 2026-27 season.
All-American point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. almost decided to leave this offseason. He only withdrew from the NBA Draft about 90 minutes before the deadline for early entrants. Fears has two seasons of eligibility left, but it feels like a strong possibility that the 2026-27 season will be the last for him in college. Tom Izzo and his staff are preparing for that possibility.
Joshua Tyson Hits the Radar
The Spartans are already setting up their board for the 2027 class. Michigan State recently offered 4-star center Jaydn Jenkins, but it has also just offered four-star guard Joshua Tyson.
Tyson is currently ranked 65th overall in his class coming out of Lakota West in West Chester, Ohio, per the 247Sports Composite. He also reportedly unofficially visited East Lansing on Monday. The Spartans are an interesting addition to the list of interested parties in Tyson's recruitment. He's already planning official visits to Ohio State, Xavier, Virginia Tech, and Cincinnati.
Tyson is currently listed as a combo guard by 247Sports, but he's a point guard on On3's site. He's also currently measured at 6'2" and 170 pounds. If Michigan State is looking at Tyson as a possible replacement for Fears at the one, he'd be the first known target at the position. MSU has also offered East Lansing native Kingston Thomas, but he is a shooting guard.
Last season for Lakota West, Tyson averaged 16.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 2.0 steals per game. He shot 62.9% from the field, 34.4% from behind the arc, and 64.5% from the free-throw line.
Landing Tyson wouldn't give MSU a 1-for-1 replacement of Fears. He and Tyson are different players with different playstyles. Tyson is still a pretty capable and creative distributor, though. He also has some pretty good abilities as a slasher for a point guard, too.
Overall Outlook for Spartans' 2027 Class
Michigan State is in a slightly precarious spot with how it approaches its next recruiting class, since every single scholarship player on the roster will now have the option to return for another year after the NCAA's recent adoption of the "5-in-5" rule. This most notably gave rising seniors Coen Carr and Anton Bonke an additional season of eligibility.
Keeping an entire roster around is unlikely these days, though. As said earlier, this season could very well be it for Fears in East Lansing. There is also a decent chance that somebody else, like Jasiah Jervis, Carr, Bonke, or Jordan Scott, emerges as an NBA prospect as well. It's also rare not to lose anybody to the transfer portal.
Izzo and the staff likely have some flexibility, but they don't have any 100%-guaranteed slots because no one has expiring eligibility. This is a pretty good problem to have, given that the roster as constructed is expected to be a top-10 team this year. It still complicates the overall strategy for the 2027 class a little bit, though.
How Fears' NBA Stock Will Be Determined
Fears was likely a mid- or late-second-round pick this season if he had decided to stick around in the NBA Draft. The goal for Fears may be to get into that first-round range, and that just seemed unlikely this year, which was considered to be considered a draft class of above-average strength. Fears probably stood to gain more from returning to college and receiving a considerably larger paycheck than he would from either playing in the G League or being an end-of-the-bench NBA guy.
One of the big keys for Fears will be improving his three-point shot. He shot 32.1% from deep last season, which is just not enough for a point guard standing at about 6'0" or 6'1" to jump up to the NBA these days.
For what it's worth, I feel confident Fears' three-point percentage will climb this season. The biggest telltale signs are his free-throw numbers and his mid-range game. Fears was exceptional at the line last year, making 88.5% of his foul shots. He also felt automatic at times on his jumpers from inside the arc. Normally, when those two things are there, the three-point shot is not far behind.
Fears' leadership and distribution skills are still the two biggest things going for him. NBA teams will still value someone with a high motor and who is a "winner." Fears' career record is a stellar 63-20 (.759) with a Big Ten title. Averaging 9.4 assists per game last season also definitely counts for something.
Watch Our Daily MSU Podcast
Add us as a preferred source on Google
A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
Follow jacobcotsonika