Five most important signings of the Early Signing Period
College basketball coaches breathed a collective sigh of relief as they locked in intricate pieces for their rotations next season. Even though the infamous flip is atypical on the hoops side, any coach will tell you they operate under the “it’s not over until it’s over” line of thinking in regard to recruiting.
With proverbial packages secured we’ve zeroed in on five of the most important signings of the cycle. Sometimes that means the most talented, but oftentimes it’s more about them filling a need at their respective position.
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Rivals Roundtable: Top storylines from the Early Signing Period
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2026 Rankings: Top 65
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BOOGIE FLAND, Kentucky
Sure, he’s the top point guard in the class, making his importance rather obvious, but without an elite playmaker to anchor the ship, other playmakers would’ve been less prone to sign on. For all intents and purposes, DJ Wagner and Rob Dillingham are as good as gone after this season, so landing Fland, who ranks No. 10 overall in the Rivals150, was paramount to the success that eventually followed landing Jayden Quaintance and a solid compliment guard in Travis Perry. John Calipari’s still not done in the 2024 class, and he’ll undoubtedly use playing with Fland as a selling point.
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IAN JACKSON, North Carolina
With all the chatter surrounding the potential of Jackson flipping to St. John’s, it was extremely important for Hubert Davis to secure the win here. Last season’s mass exodus, particularly the negative rumblings surrounding star guard Caleb Love’s exit, had the rumor mill working overtime in Chapel Hill. For his part, Jackson never wavered publicly with his commitment. In the end, Davis landed one of the top, most versatile scorers in the class who will step in and produce from day one.
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ROBERT WRIGHT, Baylor
Baylor’s all-everything, all the time point guard RayJ Dennis is a senior and Scott Drew will have a prospect in Wright capable of stepping in and matching Dennis’ production immediately. Wright’s stock blew through the roof this summer after a consistent strong showing in the Nike EYBL; there he showcased everything from efficient three-level scoring to elite playmaking ability to a high hoops IQ against the country’s top guards. Now, he’s running the show for the No. 1 team in the country at Montverde Academy, building the winning mentality. Wright's addition is a major win for Drew on multiple levels.
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PATRICK NGONGBA, Duke
Jon Scheyer has been untouchable as a recruiter since taking over the reins at Duke last season, but perhaps his most important prospect came in this class in the form of the 6-foot-10, 235-pound center. Of all his gifts, Ngongba is an elite rebounder, making him a vital piece that Scheyer would likely welcome this season with the Blue Devils’ struggles on the boards. Arizona outrebounded Duke 45-33, 15 of which came on the offensive glass, in its 78-73 win at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Nov. 10. With Kyle Filipowski likely gone and Mark Mitchell potentially following suit, Ngongba will anchor the paint more exclusively than any other player, including Cooper Flagg, in Duke’s 2024 class.
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KHANI ROOTHS, Michigan
Juwan Howard had a few misses in this cycle, but landing Rooths is the type of commitment that will pay major dividends for multiple years. Rooths is the second-highest ranked commit for Michigan since its top-ranked class in 2021. He proved to be one of the top players in the adidas 3SSB this past summer and will be the go-to player for IMG Academy this season. At 6-foot-7, Rooths scores in a variety of different ways inside and out and defends all five positions. He’s the perfect utility player who will fill up the stat sheet on both ends and, ultimately, help you win.