The college basketball recruiting class for 2027 has a familiar name at the top. Marcus Spears Jr., the son of ESPN NFL analyst and former LSU defensive lineman Marcus Spears, has been ranked the No. 1 overall player in ESPN's SC NEXT 60.
The 6-foot-7, 180-pound power forward from Plano, Texas, has drawn interest from powerhouse programs such as Duke, Kentucky, and Texas. With his size and athleticism, Spears Jr. is viewed as a future star who will have his choice of elite college basketball destinations.
The announcement came Wednesday when ESPN updated its rankings, and “SportsCenter” broke the news Thursday afternoon. Spears Jr. revealed that while his father was a first-round NFL Draft pick out of LSU in 2005, football was never pushed on him. Instead, Marcus Spears Sr. encouraged his son to carve his own path built on hustle.
> Breaking: Marcus Spears Jr. is the new No. 1 player in the SC NEXT 60 for the Class of 2027. [pic.twitter.com/3YedUVPlmX](https://t.co/3YedUVPlmX)
>
> — SportsCenter NEXT (@SCNext) [August 14, 2025](https://twitter.com/SCNext/status/1956008396315845079?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
“I play hard,” Spears Jr. said. “My dad always tells me to get on the defensive side and then the offensive side will come. So I try to focus on defense and then the offense will come.”
That advice appears to be paying off, as Spears Jr.’s rise to No. 1 could be the beginning of what could be a path toward the NBA. And his parents couldn’t be prouder.
"My wife and I are proud of him and Really proud of the young man he is. He works tirelessly at trying to maximize his gift, Spears Sr. told Sporting News on Thursday night. "We can’t wait to see what the future holds for him."