Oklahoma PG Jeremiah Fears Selected No. 7 Overall by New Orleans Pelicans

Oklahoma has not had an NBA draft pick since Trae Young was drafted 5th overall in 2018. On Wednesday, that changed as Jeremiah Fears becomes the 8th lottery pick in program history and the first Sooner to be drafted in the Porter Moser era.

Fears was picked 7th overall by the New Orelans Pelicans in the 2025 NBA Draft.

A year ago, Fears was in the 2025 class committed to play for Illinois, but on July 1st, he decommitted from the Fighting Illini and shortly thereafter announced that he would be joining the Sooners as he reclassified up.

The Joliet, Illinois native was the highest rated recruit that the program has brought in since Young, giving Fears high expectations. The 6’3” guard came in and immediately made an impact, ultimately leading Oklahoma to their first NCAA Tournament berth in the Moser era.

The plan was always for Fears to go to the NBA after one season in Norman, but it wasn’t until the Battle 4 Atlantis, where he led Oklahoma to a Battle 4 Atlantis Championship, scoring 24 points against Arizona and 20 points against Providence, that the national media started to catch up to that.

A few weeks later in Charlotte at the Jumpman Invitational against Michigan, where he scored 30 points on 8-12 shooting from the field and 3-4 shooting from behind the arc. Oklahoma won that game 87-86, thanks to a heroic four-point play from Fears.

It was that moment against Michigan where the national crowd realized what those at Oklahoma, those in his hometown of Joliet, Illinois, AZ Compass Prep — where he played his junior season of high school ball — and many others had seen: Fears is a special talent, and that four-point play made everyone take notice.

Half way into SEC play, some members of the national media were claiming that it was time for Fears to cnsider taking another year of school but after that moment, he turned it up a notch. Over the last five conference games and the two SEC Tournament games, Fears averaged 22.7 points, 5.5 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.5 steals.

He ended the season averaging a team-high 17 points, a team-high 4.1 assists, 4.1 rebounds, and a team-high 1.6 steals per game while averaging 30 minutes each game. He finished shooting 43.6% from the field, 84.5% from the free throw line, and 27.5% from behind the arc.

He also nabbed four SEC Freshman of the Week awards and a spot on the SEC All-Freshman team for his impressive play.

The true freshman who should have been preparing for his high school prom in April was the one to lead Oklahoma to their first NCAA Tournament berth since 2021.

There were many heroic moments throughout Fears’ tenure in Oklahoma, now he will take his talents to the Big Easy.

He joins a roster that features Zion Williamson and Trey Murphy. Fears is expected to step in as the franchise’s point guard.

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