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Jeremiah Fears previews decision, latest on Kentucky interest

Top 30 prospect Jeremiah fears drew attention shortly after his decision to reopen his recruitment. Just hours after decommitting from Illinois, the four-star guard and reclassification prospect announced that Kentucky had reached out as his first confirmed contact.

The Wildcats have one final scholarship available and have made it clear they are completely open to how they want to use it. Could Fears be the guy? He’s ready to make a decision.

Jon Rothstein broke the news of Fears’ commitment at 6:45 p.m. ET on Saturday, while confirming his plans for a new class that will see him move into 2024.

KSR spoke with Fears ahead of his decision. The four-star guard analyzed the top schools in the running and gave an update on where Kentucky stands heading into the final hours.

“A lot of schools reached out to me, probably Providence, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Arizona State and Illinois are the ones that prioritized me,” he told KSR. “(I withdrew from Illinois) to just explore my options, I feel like I committed early and I didn’t get to explore my options. I only took four official visits. That was the main reason.”

What about Mark Pope and the Wildcats? Is that still a possibility?

“I’m still interested, we talk every now and then,” he said. “They’ve been to a couple of my games, they’ve been there for USA. We’ve built a pretty good relationship since I stepped down. It’s a good program, I’ve seen them grow up a lot. I like their facilities — they’re off the charts — and the fans and their environment.”

Fears said all the schools recruiting him are pushing for 2024 or 2025, ready for him whenever he wants to commit. He was noncommittal on a reclassification, but said that decision will be official — public — sooner rather than later.

“I’m not sure yet, I talked to my dad about it,” he said. “I’ll decide right after Peach Jam whether I’m going to re-deploy or stay in 2025. It depends on the opportunities that are available. I want to go somewhere with a family culture and a good environment.”

What does the school he chooses yield in his efforts?

“They get a dog. They get a winner, a leader, a playmaker and a field general,” he told KSR.

Oklahoma is the school to watch for his decision, Kentucky is stalling on the four-star guard while others have stepped up their efforts. Meanwhile, NBA Global Academy center Julius Halaifonua is being moved from 2025 to 2024 and the Wildcats are seen as potential contenders to acquire his contract.

One out, one in?