The prestigious Wooden Award watch list includes Michigan State’s Jeremy Fears Jr.
MSU’s floor general lands among college basketball’s top national Player of the Year contenders
Jeremy Fears Jr. continues to stack national recognition as Michigan State’s floor general, earning a spot on the Los Angeles Athletic Club’s John R. Wooden Award® Men’s Late Midseason Top 20 Watch List. The honor places the redshirt sophomore guard among 20 players viewed by a national panel as front-runners for college basketball’s most prestigious individual award.
The selection caps a stretch in which Fears has quietly become one of the sport’s most efficient engines. He has guided Michigan State to a 20–4 overall record and a 10–3 mark in Big Ten play, with the Spartans holding steady at No. 10 in both the AP Top 25 and the ESPN Coaches Poll. Earlier this season, Fears was also named to the Bob Cousy Award Midseason Top 10, underscoring his standing among the nation’s elite point guards.
Notably, Fears’ emergence into the Wooden Award conversation reflects just how much his season has evolved. He was not included on the Wooden Award Top 50 watch list announced on November 18, 2025, nor did he appear on the Top 25 list released on January 7, 2026. His addition to the Late Midseason Top 20 underscores the ground he has made up over the past six weeks, as sustained production, control of the game, and Michigan State’s rise in the Big Ten have pushed him firmly into the national Player of the Year discussion.
Statistically, Fears checks every box voters look for. He leads Michigan State in scoring (15.1 points per game) and assists (9.1), shoots 44.2 percent from the field, and is nearly automatic at the free-throw line (89.9 percent). One of Michigan State’s captains, Fears has also been recognized twice as Big Ten Player of the Week.
Nationally, his profile stands out even more. Fears ranks first in assists per game (9.1) and total assists (219), sits fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio, and is 23rd nationally in free-throw percentage.
His recent performances have pushed him into rare company in program history. The 17 assists he dished out against Maryland on Jan. 24 were the second-most ever by a Spartan in a single game. Last Saturday’s 15-assist effort in the 85–82 overtime win over then-No. 5 Illinois marked the third-best single-game total in school history and made Fears the only player Michigan State has ever had with multiple 15-assist games. With 219 assists on the season, he already ranks seventh on MSU’s single-season list and needs just four more to pass Earvin Johnson’s 1977–78 total of 222 for sixth place.
The Big Ten is well represented on the Late Midseason Top 20, placing five players on the list. Michigan State’s Fears is joined by Purdue senior Braden Smith, Iowa senior Bennet Stirtz, Michigan graduate forward Yaxel Lendeborg, and Illinois freshman Keaton Wagler.
John R. Wooden Award® Late Midseason Top 20
Darius Acuff Jr. – Arkansas – Freshman – G – 6-3
Christian Anderson – Texas Tech – Sophomore – G – 6-3
Cameron Boozer – Duke – Freshman – F – 6-9
Jaden Bradley – Arizona – Senior – G – 6-3
AJ Dybansta – BYU – Freshman – F – 6-9
Jeremy Fears Jr. – Michigan State – Redshirt Sophomore – G – 6-2
Kingston Fleming – Houston – Freshman – G – 6-4
PJ Haggerty – Kansas State – Junior – G – 6-4
Thomas Haugh – Florida – Junior – F – 6-9
Graham Ike – Gonzaga – Grad Student – F – 6-9
Joshua Jefferson – Iowa State – Senior – F – 6-9
Yaxel Lendeborg – Michigan – Grad Student – F – 6-9
Darryn Peterson – Kansas – Freshman – G – 6-6
Labaron Philon Jr. – Alabama – Sophomore – G – 6-4
Braden Smith – Purdue – Senior – G – 6-0
Bennet Stirtz – Iowa – Senior – G – 6-4
Tyler Tanner – Vanderbilt – Sophomore – G – 6-0
JT Toppin – Texas Tech – Junior – F – 6-9
Keaton Wagler – Illinois – Freshman – G – 6-6
Caleb Wilson – North Carolina – Freshman – F – 6-10
Players on the Late Midseason list are considered strong candidates for the 2026 Wooden Award Player of the Year, though athletes not named remain eligible for the National Ballot. That ballot will be trimmed to 15 players, with voting conducted during the NCAA Tournament and early-round performances factored into the final outcome. The Wooden Award All-American Team will be announced during the Elite Eight week.
