Michigan State University Athletics
Photo by: Matthew Mitchell Photography
Jeremy Fears Jr. Named Preseason National Player of the Year by Blue Ribbon College Basketball
9/21/2026 5:28:00 PM | Men's Basketball
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State men's basketball redshirt junior guard Jeremy Fears Jr. was named the preseason National Player of the Year by Blue Ribbon College Basketball for the upcoming season.
The Spartans were ranked No. 4 in Blue Ribbon's Preseason Top 25.
Fears is coming off a career year in 2025-26, helping lead the Spartans to a 27-8 overall record, including a 15-5 mark in the Big Ten Conference. MSU was selected to the NCAA Tournament for the 28th-straight season, officially recognized by the NCAA as the longest active streak in the country, and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament for the 17th time under Head Coach Tom Izzo.
He was one of 10 players selected to the John R. Wooden Award® All-America Team in late March, the e fifth All-American honor for Fears, who was named a Second Team All-American by the Associated Press, earned third team honors from The Sporting News, the United States Basketball Writers Association and the National Association of Basketball Coaches.
Fears led Michigan State in scoring with 15.2 points per game and in assists, with 9.4 per game, which not only ranked first in the Big Ten but was No. 1 in the country. He was third in the Big Ten in free throw percentage (88.5%) and second in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.86). He was the only player in the country who averaged at least 15.0 points and 9.0 assists per game.
Nationally, Fears led the country in assists per game (9.4), was second in total assists (328), fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.86) and ranked No. 33 in free throw percentage (88.5%).
He handed out 13 assists in the Big Ten Tournament against UCLA, breaking the Michigan State school record of 291 set by Cassius Winston in 2018-19. Fears finished the season with a school-record 328 assists and his 9.4 per game average is also a Michigan State record.
Fears is the first Michigan State player to be named a preseason Player of the Year by Blue Ribbon since Mateen Cleaves in 2000.
Michigan State plays the first of three exhibition games on Friday, Oct. 2, hosting the University of the Incarnate Word at the Breslin Center. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. The exhibition game is included as part of the annual Izzone Campout on Munn Field on the MSU campus.
The Spartans were ranked No. 4 in Blue Ribbon's Preseason Top 25.
Fears is coming off a career year in 2025-26, helping lead the Spartans to a 27-8 overall record, including a 15-5 mark in the Big Ten Conference. MSU was selected to the NCAA Tournament for the 28th-straight season, officially recognized by the NCAA as the longest active streak in the country, and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament for the 17th time under Head Coach Tom Izzo.
He was one of 10 players selected to the John R. Wooden Award® All-America Team in late March, the e fifth All-American honor for Fears, who was named a Second Team All-American by the Associated Press, earned third team honors from The Sporting News, the United States Basketball Writers Association and the National Association of Basketball Coaches.
Fears led Michigan State in scoring with 15.2 points per game and in assists, with 9.4 per game, which not only ranked first in the Big Ten but was No. 1 in the country. He was third in the Big Ten in free throw percentage (88.5%) and second in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.86). He was the only player in the country who averaged at least 15.0 points and 9.0 assists per game.
Nationally, Fears led the country in assists per game (9.4), was second in total assists (328), fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.86) and ranked No. 33 in free throw percentage (88.5%).
He handed out 13 assists in the Big Ten Tournament against UCLA, breaking the Michigan State school record of 291 set by Cassius Winston in 2018-19. Fears finished the season with a school-record 328 assists and his 9.4 per game average is also a Michigan State record.
Fears is the first Michigan State player to be named a preseason Player of the Year by Blue Ribbon since Mateen Cleaves in 2000.
Michigan State plays the first of three exhibition games on Friday, Oct. 2, hosting the University of the Incarnate Word at the Breslin Center. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. The exhibition game is included as part of the annual Izzone Campout on Munn Field on the MSU campus.
Tuesday, September 22
Monday, March 23
Monday, March 23
Monday, March 16