Kentucky target Jeremiah Fears commits to Oklahoma, reclassifies to 2024

There was a time when Jeremiah Fears was a legitimate recruiting target for Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats. Pope still has one more roster spot to play with for his debut season in 2024-25, and Fears was a possible candidate to take it. However, that scenario is no longer in play.

On Saturday night, Fears committed to Oklahoma while also announcing his plans to reclassify from 2025 to 2024, meaning he’ll suit up for the Sooners this coming season. Originally committed to Illinois, the 6-foot-2 point guard was primarily receiving interest from the likes of Providence, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Arizona State the second time around.

Kentucky first reached out to Fears back on July 1 when he posted to social media that he had received a call from the coaching staff. The Wildcats continued to poke around in the following weeks and even attended a handful of Fears games, but he ultimately never earned a scholarship.

NEWS: Top-40 recruit Jeremiah Fears, a former Illinois commit, will reclassify to 2024 and has committed to Oklahoma, a source tells @On3Recruits.

Story: https://t.co/WiV32gFvXa pic.twitter.com/6isIugNHXi

— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) July 20, 2024

After reclassifying to 2024, Fears is now No. 71 overall in the country according to the On3 Industry Ranking. He is Oklahoma’s highest-rated commit for the 2024 cycle.

Fears made his decision at the Nike EYBL Peach Jam tournament where he was on a tear for Indy Heat throughout the week. Across five games played, he averaged 21.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, two assists, and one steal per outing while shooting 51.4 percent overall, 38.1 percent from deep, and 96.3 percent from the free throw line.

With Fears off the board, Kentucky still has one roster spot to potentially fill for the fall. Notably, NBA Global Academy center Julius Halaifonua is reclassifying from 2025 to 2024 and the Wildcats are seen as potential contenders to land his commitment. Other international prospects will be considered for the 13th and final roster spot, as well.