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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The recruitment of Jaden McDaniels has been a tough one to nail down, as the five-star forward has kept things close to vest. However, McDaniels made noise last month by trimming his school list, and this weekend he will begin his visit tour to a familiar program.

The top breakout performer from the travel season, McDaniels was rewarded for his prolific play by receiving offers from some of the top programs in the nation. Down to a final five of UCLA, Kentucky, Texas, Washington and San Diego State, McDaniels will take his first official visit to SDSU this weekend. In the meantime, official visit dates are in the works for the remaining four.

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San Diego State: “They are just telling me to come and join the family. I have known them since the ninth grade, and since they began starting to recruit my brother (Jalen McDaniels). They have been a big part of my life. It is more than basketball with them. I go down there all the time and it is just a big family there.

“My brother is just telling me that if I were to go there, I would have to come in and be ready to play defense, because if you don’t play defense, you won’t get much time on the court. So you have to play hard there.”

UCLA: “I could come in and they would help me get to the next level, so that I could make some money and help my family. They have told me a lot about their players and how they have helped develop a lot of their guys for the NBA.”

Texas: “Coach Shaka (Smart) and Coach (Darrin) Horn, I have a good relationship with them. I talk to them all the time and they just tell me to keep working hard and keep getting better. They have come and visited me a lot, and it is just a good relationship with them.”

Kentucky: “It is just an honor to be even recruited by them. It is just a big deal to go there and you have to be ready to play and you always have to play hard. Coach Cal (John Calipari) is someone that holds people accountable.”

Washington: “He (Mike Hopkins) is telling me to come home and be the hometown hero. If you are home, you can be the superstar. You already know everything and it is just a big family. (Assistant coach Will) Conroy, I have known him forever it feels like, so it isn’t like I am going into something that I don’t know.

“As soon as Marcus (Tsohonis) committed, he was just like, 'Come on, join the wave, it is the thing to do.’ He just wants for me to go there, too.”

Sporting similar physical dimensions to Orlando Magic second-year forward Jonathan Isaac, McDaniels is a super-versatile forward who can play in a variety of lineups. Standing close to 6-foot-9 and with a great middle game, McDaniels was one of the top performers on the Nike circuit this summer. The face of the Seattle Rotary program, he posted per-game averages of 18.6 points, 9.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.3 steals.

A timetable for a commitment has not been set. While he could potentially complete all five of his official visits prior to the signing period in November, like most elite, five-star prospects, he could also decide to extend his recruitment into the winter months and further assess the rosters of each of his finalists.

“I don’t know yet,” he said regarding signing early. “I just have to take my visits and see how things go from there.”

Regardless, Kentucky, UCLA, Texas, Washington or San Diego State will pick up one of the top prospects in the 2019 class and arguably the player with the highest ceiling.