The recruiting media world is built on prognostication. Nothing moves the needle like predicting where top players may land. So with commitment season upon us, it’s time to take a stab at where some highly recruited prospects may matriculate.
This week in I Got Five On it, our Rob Cassidy enters five predictions pertaining to uncommitted recruits.
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More: This recruiting class will shape Duke's future for years to come
2022 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2023 Rankings: Rivals150
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THE FUTURECAST: Penn State
Oweh saw his stock soar during the summer, as the four-star guard asserted himself on grassroots basketball’s biggest stage while leading his Team Final squad to an Peach Jam title. Oweh averaged 15.7 points and five rebounds per game in his team’s last five matchups.
The Nittany Lions had been in play well before that, however, as Oweh has family ties to the school. Penn State seemed to seize the top spot in his recruitment following his June 1 official visit, and Micah Shrewsberry seems to have been able to hold off the surge in interest created by Oweh’s big summer.
The Rivals150 prospect is set to announce his decision on Oct. 1. Shrewsberry and company should feel good about where they stand.
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THE FUTURECAST: Arkansas
Smith, like Oweh, saw his profile balloon this summer. He led his team to the Peach Jam title game, in which he scored 31 points on 10-for-18 shooting against a Team Final squad stocked with high-major talent.
This hasn’t been an easy battle for in-state Arkansas, as schools such as Kentucky have all been involved with Smith to differing extents, but now it seems as though nobody will be able to extract the five-star guard from the Natural State.
Landing Smith would represent one of the biggest recruiting victories of head coach Eric Musselman’s career, and such a thing is starting to look more likely.
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THE FUTURECAST: Michigan
There was some debate on whether the time Glenn missed with injury this year would affect his standing as a take for Michigan, which has long been seen as the leader of Florida-based standout’s recruitment. The fact that Glenn set an Oct. 1 announcement date fresh off a weekend visit to Ann Arbor, however, has eased such concerns.
The Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Calvary Christian forward lists Virginia Tech, UCF and Iona as fellow finalists, but his relationship with Juwan Howard and the timing of his announcement seem to point to the Wolverines.
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THE FUTURECAST: Duke
Mgbako has seemed like a Duke lean for months, as the five-star forward was incredibly high on the Blue Devils before the program even made things official with an offer in June. Since then, however, things have moved quickly. Mgbako expressed excitement over the upcoming Jon Scheyer Era during a mid-June interview with Rivals and took his official visit to Durham on Sept. 2.
That trip seems to have galvanized the bond between the Gladstone (N.J.) Gill St. Bernard's School star and the Blue Devil staff. So while Mgbako is yet to set a decision date, it’s going to require a strong and aggressive move by another school to beat out Scheyer.
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THE FUTURECAST: Alabama (?)
The name on this list I’m least confident about simply because delayed announcement dates usually equate to behind-the-scenes chaos. Alabama or the G League have looked like the most likely landing spots for the five-star since long before he narrowed his list to four options. Miller seemed poised to commit to the Tide on Sept. 27 before he cancelled his announcement days before it was set to take place. Information about what caused the delay is mixed at best, but it seems safe to say Miller was given something new to consider.
Nate Oats may have work to do to seal a deal that once seemed close to done, but he’s certainly capable of doing so. I’ll go with the Tide but I’d feel uneasy betting on it because there’s no way of telling how much various pro leagues have upped their offers.
