Will Wade Loses LSU Legacy Recruit Marcus Spears Jr. To Texas

By KACE KIEISCHNICK, Tiger Rag Staff Reporter

Will Wade and LSU basketball missed out on one of the nation’s top prospects on Thursday.

Marcus Spears Jr., the No. 6 overall prospect in the country and No. 2 power forward by 247sports.com from Dynamic Prep in the Dallas area, is the son of former LSU defensive end great Marcus Spears. He committed to Texas after reclassifying to be a freshman in the 2026-27 season.

Spears (6-foot-9, 210 pounds) is the No. 1 player in Texas and had scholarship offers from Wade in addition to national champion Michigan, North Carolina, Kentucky, Arizona and Villanova, among others.

Marcus Spears Jr., the #1 player in HS, commits to Texas and will reclassify to 2026 🚨😳@mspears96 @Mspearsjr @slam_university pic.twitter.com/FfJQzERBFW

— SLAM HS Hoops (@SLAM_HS) July 9, 2026

His parents met at LSU in the early 2000s and soon got married.

His mother is 6-2 former LSU center Aiysha Smith, a Detroit native who played for the Tigers from 2001-03 under coach Sue Gunter and was a first team All-SEC player before becoming the seventh pick of the first round of the 2003 WNBA Draft by the Washington Mystics.

Spears’ dad played at Southern Lab in Baton Rouge before signing with LSU coach Nick Saban in 2001 as the No. 1 high school tight end in the nation and one of the most highly recruited prospects overall. He soon moved to defensive end, where the 6-4 star helped lead LSU to the national championship in the 2003 season. A first team All-SEC player in 2003 and ’04, he was a consensus All-American in 2004 and the 20th pick of the first round in 2005 by Dallas, where he played from 2005-12 before later becoming a college football analyst at ESPN and the SEC Network.

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But the family connections to LSU were not enough.

“Marcus Jr. grew up in Texas, and there’s nothing like playing for your home school and winning,” Spears told ESPN. “I experienced that growing up in Louisiana at LSU. This is his decision and his future.”

Wow, not even the “Meeting Of The 5 Families” in “The Godfather” had 40 money people in attendance. These at the Governor’s Mansion will:https://t.co/e2xBLQStfq

— Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) July 9, 2026

Spears Jr., 17, was the No. 1 player in ESPN’s 2027 class and was a top target for the Tigers. The five-star prospect helped the USA win gold at the FIBA U16 Men’s AmeriCup and averaged 20.9 points and 8.7 rebounds on the Nike circuit this spring.

Spears was initially recruited by former LSU head coach Matt McMahon before Wade.

Wade may have Ruston High four-star forward Ahmad Hudson for his 2027-28 team. Hudson committed to the LSU football team last spring as the No. 1 tight end in the country, but ESPN’s No. 26 basketbal prospect has said he will try to play baskeball as well.