Jeremy Fears Jr. keeps stacking honors, and the list picked up another big one on Wednesday when the Michigan State redshirt junior guard was named a Preseason All-American by the Associated Press.
Fears landed on the first team alongside Florida’s Thomas Haugh, Vanderbilt’s Tyler Tanner, Illinois sophomore David Mirkovic and Arizona’s Motiejus Krivas.
It’s the latest preseason recognition for Fears, who has already been named the Preseason National Player of the Year by Blue Ribbon College Basketball, selected as the Big Ten Conference’s Preseason Player of the Year and chosen unanimously for the CBS Sports Preseason All-American First Team.
The honors make sense after what he just did for Michigan State in 2025-26. Fears helped push the Spartans to a 27-8 overall record and a 15-5 mark in Big Ten play. MSU earned its 28th straight NCAA Tournament berth, a run officially recognized by the NCAA as the longest active streak in the country, and reached the Sweet Sixteen for the 17th time under Tom Izzo.
Fears’ postseason hardware from last season was just as impressive. He was one of 10 players named to the John R.
Wooden Award® All-America Team in late March, giving him his fifth All-American honor. The Associated Press previously placed him on its Second Team, while The Sporting News, the United States Basketball Writers Association and the National Association of Basketball Coaches each gave him third-team recognition.
The numbers behind the acclaim were hard to miss. Fears led Michigan State in scoring at 15.2 points per game and also paced the team in assists with 9.4 per game.
That assist average led the Big Ten and ranked No. 1 nationally. He also finished third in the conference in free throw percentage at 88.5% and second in assist-to-turnover ratio at 3.86.
That balance is what separated him from the rest of the field. Fears was the only player in the nation to average at least 15.0 points and 9.0 assists per game.
He also topped the national leaderboard in assists per game, was second in total assists with 328, ranked fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio and came in at No. 33 in free throw percentage.
One of his biggest moments came in the Big Ten Tournament against UCLA, when he dished out 13 assists and broke Michigan State’s school record of 291 set by Cassius Winston in 2018-19. Fears finished the year with 328 assists, and his 9.4 assists per game set another MSU record.
Michigan State’s preseason is almost wrapped up, with the final exhibition coming Sunday, Oct. 25 at Marquette. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m.
ET. The game will stream on YouTube, and the Spartan Media Network radio call will be available statewide and online at MSUSpartans.com.
In Other News...
Tom Izzo Sent A Clear Message To MSU Fans In Loss
An October exhibition at the Breslin Center turned into a showcase of how intense Michigan State fans can be, but it also brought a reminder from Tom Izzo about where the line should be. When UConn coach Dan Hurley was met with hostile chants during the game, Izzo stepped in and asked the crowd to stop, even as the No. 5 Huskies went on to beat No. 6 Michigan State 78-70.
The game itself still had the feel of a big-stage meeting between two nationally respected programs, with both coaches showing plenty of appreciation for the other side afterward. Izzo and Hurley each praised the opposing team and coaching, leaving the Spartans with a result they did not want but also a clear message from their own coach about how he wants the home environment handled. [Read more 🡒]
Jeremy Fears Jr. Just Gave Michigan State Fans A New Worry
Michigan States exhibition against UConn ended with a familiar preseason mix of promise and concern, as the Spartans fell 78-70 at Breslin Center but still got a strong performance from Jeremy Fears Jr. The guard paced the team with 23 points and eight assists, helping keep Michigan State in the game against a UConn frontcourt that controlled stretches of the night and made life difficult on the glass.
The bigger worry for the Spartans came in the second half, when Fears gave the fan base a scare after appearing to deal with an ankle issue. Even in a game that did not count in the standings, his health matters to a team trying to sort out its backcourt and tighten up before another exhibition against Marquette, especially with UConns rebounding edge serving as a reminder of how quickly preseason games can expose issues. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State May Have A Bigger Jeremy Fears Jr. Story Brewing
Michigan States exhibition loss to No. 4 UConn still gave the Spartans a useful look at where things stand early, and Jeremy Fears Jr. made sure he stayed at the center of it. The sophomore guard led Michigan State with 23 points and eight assists, and he looked more explosive than he did a year ago, punctuating the night with a one-handed dunk that stood out even in a game the Spartans ultimately dropped 78-70.
The bigger takeaway, though, may be how much Fears can shape everything around him if this version sticks. Michigan State also got 11 points from freshman guard Jasiah Jervis, while the starting center spot remains unsettled after Jesse McCulloch played well enough to challenge the expected starter Anton Bonke. For a team still sorting out its rotation, Fears jump is the kind of development that can change the ceiling in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]