Top-40 high school recruit Jeremiah Fears is still on the open market. Fears de-committed from Illinois and announced his decision to reclassify to 2024, although he is still a member of the class of 2025. He had been committed to Illinois since January.
According to On3’s Joe Tipton, Fears plans to enroll in college following the EYBL Peach Jam unless something changes. The EYBL Peach Jam runs from July 13-21.
Two New Programs Emerge As Leading Candidates For Elite 2024 High School Point Guard
While it is a little surprising that a consensus top high school recruit is still available, it isn’t because he hasn’t garnered a lot of attention. Kentucky and Michigan State were immediately linked to the four-star prospect, with the Wildcats as favorites.
However, Tipton reported yesterday that he doesn’t think Kentucky will not be a major player in his recruitment at the end. The Wildcats have one scholarship available for the upcoming year.
Not sure how much Michigan State was interested in him as they already have used their allotment of scholarships. But Fears’ brother, Jeremy Fears Jr., is a member of the Spartans. Jeremy Fears, a consensus top-40 recruit in 2023, averaged 3.4 points and 3.3 assists while shooting 50% from the field in 12 appearances last year.
Tipton now believes that Oklahoma is a leading candidate for Fears services.
Oklahoma was the first program tied to Fears following his decision to reopen his recruitment. Sources said the Sooners came out of the gates with strong interest in the elite point guard and have the playing time and role that Fears would want as an incoming freshman. OU is also joining the SEC, a league that fits his style of play. In speaking with sources, Oklahoma is a team to monitor in this recruitment.
Oklahoma has 14 players on its roster for 2024-25, so it will be interesting to see what Fears does. Perhaps the Sooners still have a scholarship available. Or maybe Fears or Dalton Forsythe, a three-star recruit from Dale (Okla.), will redshirt.
Who Else Is Reportedly Interested In Jeremiah Fears?
Here is a look at a few schools that have also pushed for Fears since his de-commitment from the Illini.
USC Trojans
Fears received a scholarship offer from USC on July 4. While Tipton said the Trojans initially made a significant push for him, they are likely moving on.
Providence Friars
Providence originally made Fears finalist list, before committing to Illinois. However, sources told Tipton that the Friars are expected to make a move for him. The Friars have 16 players on their 2024-25 roster and don’t appear to have a scholarship available.
Arizona State Sun Devils
Tipton mentioned that Arizona State was also a team to watch for Fears.
Arizona State is yet another school interested in Fears. The Sun Devils campus is just down the road from his AZ Compass High School, and ASU has momentum on the recruiting trail after making huge splashes with Five-Star Jayden Quaintance and top-25 recruit Joson Sanon.
ASU appears to have at least one scholarship available for 2024-25.
Jeremiah Fears Profile
Fears played his first high school season at Joilet before transferring to Compass Prep in Arizona. In 14 games for Compass Prep this past year, Fears averaged 14.2 points, 2.3 assists and 2.5 steals.
Fears, who is long and athletic, has a nice feel for the game and good court vision. He also has a good-looking jumper and an excellent mid-range game. But what he does the best is attack the rack and finish at the rim, in transition, and the halfcourt. He should also have an impact on the defensive end. However, 3-point shooting is an issue.
Fears had an excellent EYBL campaign this spring and helped Team USA to win gold in the U18 AmeriCup, averaging 6.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and a team-high 3.0 steals in 12 minutes per game.
Here is what 247Sports Brandon Jenkins said about Fears game:
He is a smooth and confident scorer who has no problem finding his own offense within the flow of a game. A combination guard with a score-first mindset, Fears is at his best in a secondary ball-handling role where he can primarily focus on making shots and creating for himself off the bounce. He is talented with the ball in his hands and has a creative enough handle to break defenders down to get to his pull-up game. While he is smooth off the bounce, there are times when Fears can be loose with the ball through traffic. However, whether playing on or off the ball his ability to make shots makes him a player that needs to be accounted for at all times. He has all the needed variables to be a solid scoring option at the power conference level.
