Jeremy Fears Jr. has opened as the early leader in the race for college basketball’s top individual honor.
DraftKings released its first Wooden Award odds for the 2026-27 season, and the Michigan State point guard sits at the top of the board with the best number of any player in the country. In other words, the sportsbook is backing East Lansing as home to the nation’s best player.
The current top five, as of June 29, reads like this:
Jeremy Fears Jr. (+850)
Thomas Haugh, Florida (+1000)
John Blackwell, Duke (+1300)
David Mirkovic, Illinois (+1300)
Tounde Yessoufou, St. John’s (+1500)
For Michigan State, the positioning is notable. The Spartans haven’t had a player widely viewed as the best in college basketball since Cassius Winston in 2019-20. Before that came Denzel Valentine, who was in the national player of the year conversation, and before him was Draymond Green.
No Spartan has ever won the Wooden Award, so Fears has a chance to make program history if he can hold this kind of momentum into the season. He’ll have plenty of competition, though, with all five of the early favorites coming from teams expected to contend.
It’s a strong sign of respect for Fears.
And for anyone still questioning whether he could be a first-round pick next year? That skepticism looks pretty wild.
DraftKings’ list also included other familiar names, with additional Spartans and several Big Ten players showing up among the early contenders. Former Michigan State targets Sherrell and Haralson were on the board as well.
One thing that stood out was Jervis landing ahead of Arenas and Haralson, while still sitting not far behind Sherrell, Ivisic and Mobley Jr.
Michigan State has real representation in the early Wooden conversation, and the Big Ten does too.
For now, the Spartans can at least say this: the early favorite for the next Wooden Award winner is wearing green and white.
In Other News...
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Thomas Kithiers basketball path has taken another turn, and the former Michigan State big man is staying in the game in a new way. After his playing career, Kithier moved into coaching and spent time working under Dwayne Stephens at Western Michigan, a stop that helped build his rsum behind the scenes. For Spartans fans who remember him as a steady rebounder during his time in East Lansing, it is another reminder that his connection to the sport has carried well beyond his college days.
Now Kithier is headed to Utah State, where he is set to join the Aggies staff as a video coordinator and assistant coach. The move keeps him on the rise in the coaching ranks after an early end to his playing career, one shaped by a back injury following his transfer to Valparaiso. The transition has not always been viewed the same way by Michigan State fans, but Kithier is clearly finding a lane in the profession and giving himself another shot to make an impact. [Read more 🡒]
Mat Ishbia Is Quietly Turning The Suns Into A Spartan Operation
Mat Ishbia has never been shy about making the Phoenix Suns reflect his roots, and the latest version of that vision has a familiar East Lansing feel. The Michigan State alum now has Bryan Gregory in the front office, Jordan Ott on the bench, Mateen Cleaves as an assistant coach, and Miles Bridges in the roster mix, giving the franchise a small but notable Spartan footprint in a major NBA market.
For Michigan State fans, it is the kind of cross-sport connection that is hard to miss, especially with Tom Izzo still patrolling the sideline in East Lansing after weighing his own future last offseason. Izzo stayed, and the Spartans kept moving, but Ishbias orbit continues to widen around names that matter in both programs, leaving plenty of reason to watch how deep that Michigan State influence ultimately goes. [Read more 🡒]
Michigans Bryce Underwood Rumor Has Spartans Rolling Their Eyes
Rumors have a way of racing ahead of reality around Michigan, especially when the quarterback conversation gets loud, and this latest one has plenty of people in Ann Arbor and beyond shaking their heads. The talk started on Utah message boards, where an anonymous poster claimed to have heard from a quarterbacks father that Michigan might already be eyeing another answer at the position, even though nothing about the speculation has been confirmed.
For Michigan State fans, the whole thing is mostly useful as a reminder that the Wolverines quarterback picture still feels unsettled. Bryce Underwood remains at the center of the discussion, but Michigan is also looking at other options, including freshman Tommy Carr and transfer Colin Hurley, which only adds fuel to the outside chatter. Whether any of it amounts to more than message-board noise is the part everyone is still waiting to find out. [Read more 🡒]