Nation's assist leader Jeremy Fears Jr. earns prestigious Wooden All-American honor, capping a historic season of record-breaking playmaking.
The Michigan State Spartans men's basketball may be watching the Final Four from home, but one Spartan is still getting the recognition he deserves.
Jeremy Fears Jr. was officially named to the Wooden All-American Team after leading the nation in assists per game at 9.4. He was the only player in the country to average nine or more assists per game this season.
That honor comes after a historic junior campaign in which Fears rewrote record books at both the conference and program level.
Fears finished his junior season by breaking Braden Smith’s Big Ten single-season assist record, which had been set just last year. However, Fears’ hold on that record didn’t last long. Smith wasn’t about to end his collegiate career without reclaiming it.
The two elite point guards battled for the top spot all season long, and thanks to a couple of extra games in the Big Ten Tournament — along with one more game than Michigan State in the NCAA Tournament — Smith’s 2025-26 total moved back ahead. Smith finished his senior season with 345 assists, while Fears ended with 328, pushing the Spartan star to second all-time in Big Ten history for single-season assists.
Even so, what Fears accomplished this season should not be overlooked.
He posted an incredible 53% assist percentage, meaning that more than half of Michigan State’s made baskets while he was on the floor were assisted by Fears himself. That’s an absurd number for any player, let alone one operating in the grind of Big Ten basketball.
And it’s not just a one-year flash, either.
For his career, Fears owns a 46.1% assist percentage, which currently stands as an all-time NCAA Division I men’s basketball record. That kind of consistency and playmaking ability is rare, and it’s exactly why he has become one of the most important engines of Michigan State’s offense.
On top of that, Fears also shattered Michigan State’s single-season assist record, previously held by Cassius Winston, who recorded 291 assists during the 2018-19 season. Winston was also the last Spartan to earn Wooden All-American Team honors back in 2019-20.
Now, Fears has officially put Michigan State back on that list.
Fears was one of — if not the — best passer in the nation this year. There’s really no arguing that. But you don’t earn Wooden All-American honors by being only a great passer.
Fears held his own offensively as well.
He led the Spartans in scoring, averaging 15.2 points per game, which ranked 17th in the Big Ten. He was tied there with Yaxel Lendeborg, who was Michigan’s top player this season and remains in the running for the Wooden Award and a national championship.
That balance is what made Fears such a dangerous player this season.
He could control the tempo, create for everyone around him, and still step up when Michigan State needed a bucket. Defenses couldn’t simply sag off and dare him to score, because Fears showed throughout the year that he could make them pay in multiple ways.
His impact was felt on both ends of the floor, too.
Fears’ relentless defense made him an extremely difficult player to guard and an even tougher matchup to go against. He plays with a level of aggression and energy that consistently sets the tone, and that edge is a huge part of what makes him such a valuable leader for this team.
The postseason recognition didn’t stop with the Wooden team, either.
Fears was also named to the AP All-American Second Team, NABC All-American Third Team, Sporting News All-American Third Team, and USBWA All-American Third Team.
That’s a long list of honors — and deservedly so.
With one year of college eligibility remaining, Fears will now turn his attention toward a senior season that could be special for both him and the Spartans.
Michigan State is expected to bring in the No. 2 recruiting class in the country, including 7-foot-1 five-star center Ethan Taylor, giving Fears even more talent to work with next season. If this year was about establishing himself as one of the best point guards in college basketball, next year could be about cementing his legacy.
And if his junior season was any indication, he won’t be satisfied with just individual accolades.
The goals will remain the same as always in East Lansing: win the Big Ten, make a deep March run, and chase a national championship.
But with everything Fears accomplished this season, it wouldn’t be surprising at all to see him take one more massive step forward as a senior.
The records, the draft buzz, the postseason awards — all of that matters.
But for Fears and Michigan State, there’s still one prize left that means more than all of it.
And next season, he’ll have one more shot to go get it.
Wooden Award Finalists
Darius Acuff Jr., Arkansas
Cameron Boozer, Duke
AJ Dybantsa, BYU
Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan
Braden Smith, Purdue
Wooden All-American Team
Darius Acuff Jr., Arkansas
Cameron Boozer, Duke
AJ Dybantsa, BYU
Jeremy Fears Jr., Michigan State
Kingston Flemings, Houston
Joshua Jefferson, Iowa State
Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan
Braden Smith, Purdue
JT Toppin, Texas Tech
Keaton Wagler, Illinois