Why Return of Fears Should Have MSU Thinking Big

Getting Jeremy Fears Jr. back for another year is the type of thing that can take MSU over the top.

Michigan State's Jeremy Fears Jr. takes a breather before a free throw against Michigan on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, inside the Breslin Center. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

Michigan State has been very, very close to breaking through each of the last two years.

Tom Izzo wants that second national title. It's not exactly a secret. MSU reached the Elite Eight two years ago and then bowed out in the Sweet 16 to the eventual national runners-up this past season. Everything is lining up for Izzo and the Spartans to look to maybe get over that hump next season after they held onto Jeremy Fears Jr.

Keeping Fears

March 27, 2026; Washington, D.C.; Michigan State guard Jeremy Fears Jr. readies to shoot a free throw against UConn during the Sweet Sixteen round of the NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

Fears has the chance to be the very best player in college hoops next season. He was already one of the best last year, averaging 15.2 points and a nation-leading 9.4 assists per contest. That was enough to get him AP Second Team All-American honors.

Popular analytics sites EvanMiya.com and KenPom rated him as the No. 3 and No. 7 player in the sport, respectively. All the players ranked ahead of him on both sites are now in the NBA. It would've also just been difficult to see the Spartans contending for anything meaningful if Fears had stayed in the NBA Draft, too.

Complete Roster

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

Up and down the roster, there really isn't a glaring flaw to complain about. There are some rosters with more talent, perhaps, but MSU's has a bit of everything. Fears returning mean elite guard play is guaranteed. There is going to be size with 7'2" Charlotte transfer Anton Bonke. Michigan State has some great shooting options with Jordan Scott, Kur Teng, and Kaleb Glenn. The incoming recruiting class is ranked among the best in the country.

"Strength in numbers" should also be back this season. Fears, Coen Carr, and Bonke are guys who can probably be put in permanent marker on the eventual starting five. That means just two of Jasiah Jervis, Scott, Teng, Glenn, and Cam Ward will get a starting role. Carlos Medlock Jr., Jesse McCulloch, and Ethan Taylor also have plenty of promise as bench pieces.

Final Four in Detroit

An attendee photographs the official logo for the 2027 NCAA Men’s Final Four displayed on a screen during a press conference inside Ford Field in Detroit on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. | David Rodriguez Muñoz / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Having that "all-in" year when the Final Four will be in Detroit also just feels right. Michigan State is literally going to be the host institution, after all. The Spartans reached the National Championship game the last time the event was held at Ford Field, though they lost to North Carolina.

The phrase "this is the year" is something sports fans sometimes mock a bit. This truly could be the year, though. Izzo only has so many years of coaching left, and it may not line up this well again.

Michigan State's Tom Izzo shouts instructions out during a game against Michigan at the Breslin Center on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI