This Key Returnee Levels Up Spartans This Season

The Spartans have a lot of talent, but this returnee has the most potential.

Tom Izzo, MSU's basketball coach, gets the crowd of over 9,000 people going at the Izzo Run/Walk/Roll, 5K event Sunday, April 26, 2026. | Robert Killips/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Spartans were supposed to be one of the biggest teams in the country last season, and they lived up to those expectations when March Madness arrived, entering the tournament as a very high three seed.

Unfortunately, all of those expectations were let down when it mattered the most, as the Spartans simply couldn't get it done when they played against the eventual runner-ups in the 2-seeded UConn Huskies.

Mar 27, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; UConn Huskies forward Dwayne Koroma (4) fouls Michigan State Spartans guard Jeremy Fears Jr. (1) in the second half during a Sweet Sixteen game of the East Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

This year they will need to take a leap as a full team to please the fans. That will become possible because Tom Izzo is staying for another year in his long tenure, and while things may have been different in a bad way if he left, things will be different in a good way this year because he stayed.

This is especially true for one player in particular, and that player is Jeremy Fears Jr., who would have had a place in the NBA if he had declared, but ended up staying with the Spartans instead.

What Will Change For Good With Fears Jr.

Michigan State guard Jeremy Fears Jr. celebrates the 77-69 win over Louisville in the NCAA Tournament second round at KeyBank Center in Buffalo on Saturday, March 21, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

• One thing that was definitely an issue last year with Fears Jr. was his discipline on the court, as when things were getting particularly heated, he would lash out on more than one occasion, landing him in a lot of controversy.

• But as any Spartan fan would know, that kind of thing does not slide in Tom Izzo's team, and he didn't let it slide last year whenever it would happen, which was exactly what Fears Jr. needed to grow after his mistakes.

Michigan State guard Jeremy Fears Jr. (1) shoots falling backwards as Connecticut guard Solo Ball (1) defends during the second half of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball East Regional game against UConn at Capital One Arena in Washington DC on Friday, March 27, 2026. Michigan State lost the game 67-63. | Eric Seals / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

• Now that he is returning, he will continue to grow from those mistakes and become a much better team leader, and in turn, the entire team will be better as a result.

• Furthermore, it is another year for Fears Jr. to refine his game, and as he does so, the team's play will become much cleaner and fluid, which would have altered the season against a team like UConn.

The Only Caveat To His Return

Mar 27, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Michigan State Spartans head coach Tom Izzo talks with guard Jeremy Fears Jr. (1) in the second half during a Sweet Sixteen game of the East Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

• The NBA will be right around the corner for the entire season with Fears Jr., and it will be easy for him to get his head in the clouds and lose focus on what is right in front of him; however, that won't slide with Izzo, just as the on-court issues.

• So the return is almost all good for the team, and any issues that may be tagging along are truly minimal. With Fears Jr., MSU will be leveling up in time for March Madness.