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Commitment at a glance: Jakai Newton talks Indiana pledge

Jakai Newton
Jakai Newton

Indiana is still looking to finish up its first full class under Mike Woodson’s leadership, but today they were able to get a head start on the 2023 class with the first commitment coming in. Four-star guard Jakai Newton ended his recruitment in favor of the Hoosiers on Friday afternoon in an announcement at his school.

“You could just feel it talking to the players, the coaches and everyone on the staff that everyone treated us like family already and it’s a great spot,” Newton told Rivals.com. “I didn’t plan on committing this early, but I did already have Indiana at the top of my list before the visit.”

Georgia and Vanderbilt were the other finalists for the Georgia native. Auburn, Cincinnati, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Ole Miss and Xavier had also offered.

WHAT IS INDIANA GETTING?:

With Newton’s commitment, Indiana is getting one of the top guards in the South in the 2023 class. The 6-foot-4 shooting guard exploded onto the scene this travel season with the Atlanta Xpress, which led to many of his scholarship offers coming in. Newton is a terrific athlete and can score it at all three levels. He’s an aggressive defender as well and isn’t afraid to get in the mix for rebounds in traffic. He should be a really good player for the Hoosiers.

WHAT IT MEANS FOR THE HOOSIERS:

For those keeping track, this is now the second straight class where Indiana has dipped down into Georgia to for a commitment as the Hoosiers have Rivals150 forward Kaleb Banks locked in for the 2022 class. With assistant coach Yasir Rosemond leading the charge, don’t expect that pipeline to dry up any time soon. Rosemond, an Atlanta native, spent time at Georgia and Alabama as an assistant, and also spent the last couple years out of the college game working with top prospects in the area and strengthening relationships.

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