After visits to Matt Painter’s Purdue, Brad Underwood’s Illinois and more, 4-star Sheek Pearson announces commitment

Joe Cox
NCAA Basketball: NCAA Tournament First Round-New Mexico at Marquette - Source: Imagn
Pearson is headed north to Marquette to play for Shaka Smart. (Photo Credit: IMAGN)

Class of 2026 power forward Sheek Pearson has decided on a college choice. After a series of visits that included Purdue, Illinois and Iowa State, Pearson decided to go in a different direction on his college selection. The St. Louis prep product is taking his talents to Marquette and coach Shaka Smart.

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Pearson's decision was announced via social media on Monday after he purportedly discussed his commitment with On3 Sports. He is Marquette's second 2026 commitment, joining guard Ethan Johnson of Pennsylvania. Pearson is generally the higher-ranked recruit of the two players.

Marquette is coming off a 23-11 season in 2024-25 in Shaka Smart's fourth season as the Golden Eagles' coach. The coach has yet to miss an NCAA Tournament under Smart but was unable to advance beyond the first round of the tournament in 2025.

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The Golden Eagles have signed four incoming freshmen for the 2025 class. With all four being four-star prospects per 247Sports, the class is one of the better high school classes in the Big East (ranked third in the conference by 247). Smart hasn't added a single transfer portal recruit for 2025, apparently preferring to stick to high school recruiting with players like Sheek Pearson.

Sheek Pearson's path to Marquette

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Sheek Pearson could bloom into an even more highly regarded recruit than he already is. He measures 6-foot-11 and with a lithe 200-pound frame, he may not be finished growing. He has been praised for his shot-blocking and his open-court athleticism. As is typical with a player of his size, Pearson's perimeter scoring game is a work in progress, but recruiting analysts seem optimistic on that front.

Pearson attends John Burroughs School in St. Louis. His recruitment appears to have centered in the Midwest in a fairly narrow geographic region. In addition to the schools named above, 247Sports reports that Pearson had scholarship offers from DePaul, Iowa, Missouri and St. Louis.

What do you think of Pearson's commitment? Weigh in on the newest Marquette addition below in our comments section!

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Edited by Joe Cox
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