Four-star Bryan Penn-Johnson updates his status

Bryan Penn-Johnson has kept his recruitment close to vest, but what we do know is that three programs have hosted him for an official visit. In a recent conversation with Rivals.com, Penn-Johnson recapped his visits, discussed another school in the mix, why he decided to wait until the late period to sign and his timetable for a decision.

“I just wanted to make sure I weighed all my options and I picked the best school for me. If it takes a little more time, then that is fine for me,” he said before discussing DePaul, Washington and UCLA. “The three schools that I went on visits to are still involved. LSU is still kind of involved, too.”

DePaul: “They have a lot more culture there and more about the team. Being in Chicago, they support their teams there really well. They are building well there. The interest there is great. Their facilities are really, really nice so we will just see how they play in there.”

Washington: “The visit was super fun. They are good people, really good facilities and a team that is getting better. They have just been staying in contact a lot.

“They basically told me that I could come in there and be a leader right away; I would play a lot and help facilitate the floor and be a big part of the team.”

UCLA: “The visit was fun. They have a lot of new facilities and a few others that they are still building. They are going to be pretty good in the coming years. We will see how they do and go from there.

“They are just saying that I would have the chance to start and are selling the history of UCLA and of being a Bruin.”

LSU: “They have stayed in contact with me throughout all of my visits. They have still tried to stay in contact with me even without setting a visit which shows that they are invested in my development, so that is pretty interesting for me.”

Penn-Johnson does not have any more visits set up at this point and does not have a specific commitment date planned.

“As of right now, I don’t have anything else lined up. I am still planning on signing late and will probably commit in the New Year and go from there,” he said. “Right now, I want an education, playing time on the court, and just an atmosphere where I can grow. Those are the three factors that are going to go into my decision.”

While he may need a bit more time compared to his higher-ranked peers in the 2018 Rivals150, Penn-Johnson has tremendous upside. Thanks to his rim protecting skills, soft touch in the lane and vacuum-like rebounding abilities on the glass, the Wasatch Academy star boasts a plethora of talents that any high-major coach would love to add to his roster.

LSU remains in the hunt, though it would be a surprise if anyone but DePaul, Washington or UCLA end up signing the paint producer. There is no favorite currently, though things could begin to speed up as the calendar flips next month.