Jeremy Fears Jr. Voted Big Ten’s Preseason Best

The Big Ten has named Michigan State guard Jeremy Fears Jr. as the Preseason Player of the Year for the upcoming season. This comes after Fears Jr. led the nation in assists with an average of 9.4 per game during the last season. He was one of two unanimous selections for the Preseason All-Big Ten Team, alongside Nebraska's Pryce Sandfort. Michigan State secured two guards on the All-Big Ten Team, with Elliot Cadeau and Trey McKenney joining Fears Jr. on the list.

Fears Jr. has set his sights on breaking the Michigan State school record for the most assists in a single season. Last season, he recorded 328 assists, surpassing the previous record of 291, set in 2018-19 by Cassius Winston. Currently, Fears Jr. is just 326 assists away from breaking Winston's record of 890 career assists at Michigan State.

Michigan's Big Ten team faces an uphill challenge in defending their national championship title. Three Wolverines went into the 2026 NBA draft first round, and head coach Dusty May also left for the NBA to join the Dallas Mavericks. Tom Izzo will lead the Spartans in their quest to reclaim the state rivalry after being swept by the Wolverines last season.

Izzo has restructured his lineup, with four players who averaged more than 10 minutes per game leaving due to graduation or transfer. MSU is expected to contend, ranking seventh in CBS Sports' preseason Top 25.

Fears Jr. made an early impact in the exhibition opener, where he led the Spartans to a 89-59 victory over Incarnate Word. In just 22 minutes, he dished out 13 assists, providing more than half of the team's 25 assists, along with six steals. Despite his outstanding play, Fears Jr. shot 10 points on three-for-seven efficiency from the field.

To secure the Big Ten Player of the Year award at the season's end, Fears Jr. may need to enhance his three-point shooting, currently sitting at 32.1% from beyond the arc, taking an average of 3.1 attempts per game.