Marcus Spears on the ESPN Monday Night Football Countdown set before the Baltimore Ravens faced the Los Angeles Chargers Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Former Cowboys star's son is No. 1 basketball recruit in Class of 2027

Originally posted on Dallas Cowboys on SI
By Josh Sanchez | Last updated Aug 14, 2025 3:14 PM ET

Athleticism runs strong in the Spears household. This week, it was announced that Marcus Spears Jr., the son of former Dallas Cowboys star turned ESPN NFL analyst Marcus Spears, is the No. 1 high school basketball player in the nation in the Class of 2027.

While Swagu was a professional football player, he also had some basketball skills of his own. Spears was the Louisiana Gatorade Player of the Year for men's basketball in high school. But, make no mistake about it, Spears Jr. also gets his hoops skills from his momma.

Spears Jr. is the son of the former Cowboys defensive lineman and Aiysha Smith, a former first-round WNBA draft pick of the Washington Mystics.

Smith won a gold medal for Team USA in the 2001 University Games and was a first-team All-SEC honoree during her time with the LSU Tigers, where she met Spears.

Breaking: Marcus Spears Jr. is the new No. 1 player in the SC NEXT 60 for the Class of 2027. pic.twitter.com/3YedUVPlmX
— SportsCenter NEXT (@SCNext) August 14, 2025

The 6-foot-8 Spears Jr. is a power forward who stars at Dynamic Prep in Irving, Texas. He became the new No. 1 prospect in high school basketball after the previous top prospect, Babatunde Oladotun, reclassified to the Class of 2026.

Spears Jr. has several offers from the top programs in the country, with 247 Sports reporting offers on the table from the likes of Houston, Kentucky, and USC.

Congratulations to the Swagu household.