Top 2025 guard Jeremiah Fears decommits from Illinois basketball
Jeremiah Fears has re-opened his recruitment.
A standout 2025 combo guard at AZ Compass Prep, Fears had been committed to his home state school, the University of Illinois, since January 22. It is now possible Fears could try reclassify to the Class of 2024.
"First and foremost, I would like to thank the Illini nation for all the love and support they have given me and my family during my recruitment and after my commitment," Fears wrote on his X/Twitter account. "I'd like to express my appreciation to Coach Underwood and his staff for their open communication and trust in me as a prospective next great guard to perform at State Farm Center. Please trust my full intention was to enter Champaign in the class of 2025 and help contribute to the continued ascension in the BIG10. With that said, after further consideration and meaningful conversations with my family, I'll be reopening my recruitment and exploring other opportunities."
A 6-foot-3, 175-pound combo guard, Fears played at Joliet (Ill.) West High School as a sophomore with his older brother Jeremy before transferring to AZ Compass Prep prior to his junior year of high school. Jeremy Fears, one of the top guards in the 2023 class, signed with Michigan State.
The younger Fears is the No. 32 prospect nationally in the 247Sports Composite rankings in the Class of 2025 and is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 38 prospect nationally.
Fears could reclassify to the Class of 2024 and would immediately become one of the top prospects available for the upcoming season.
Rivals had Fears ranked as the No. 7 point guard in the Class of 2025, and No. 31 prospect nationally, but following the decommitment announcement now lists the Illinois native as a prospect in the Class of 2024.
Fears had more than a dozen scholarship offers before making his commitment to the Illini, including from Kansas, Arizona, Michigan, Tennessee, Michigan State, Iowa and Providence. He took visits to Tennessee and Providence before pledging to Illinois.
Fears is coming off a strong performance with the U.S. Under-18 national team, which won the AmeriCup championship last month in Buenos Aires. Fears averaged 6.5 points, 3 steals and 2.8 assists per game.
😱 @jeremiahfears2 goes SKY HOOK over the 7’7” defender!
— USABJNT (@usabjnt) June 8, 2024
🇺🇸 #USABMU18 x #U18AmeriCup pic.twitter.com/eyMUQCOUFT
Download the SBLive Sports app
To get live updates on your phone - as well as follow your favorite teams and top games - you can download the SBLive Sports app: Download iPhone App | Download Android App
- Nate Latsch | latsch@scorebooklive.com
NATE LATSCH, SBLIVE SPORTS
Nate Latsch is a Regional Editor at SBLive Sports overseeing high school coverage for Missouri, Illinois and Indiana. A veteran sportswriter and multimedia content creator, Latsch has covered high school sports in the St. Louis area and Missouri for 20 years, with a focus on high school football, basketball, baseball and football and basketball recruiting. He has worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, STLhighschoolsports.com, the Associated Press, FOX Sports Midwest, MLB.com and Scout.com. In addition to covering high school sports, Latsch has covered youth, college and professional sports, including covering the St. Louis Cardinals, St. Louis Blues and St. Louis Rams, the University of Missouri and Saint Louis University.