I've Got Five On It: Players who could be closing in on commitments
Prospects in the class of 2024 are flying off the board at a furious pace lately, and things won’t slow down much as we head toward November’s Early Signing Period. This week’s I've Got Five On It embraces the commitment chaos by examining five players that could be reaching the end of their process and naming a school to watch for each.
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1. AIDEN SHERRELL
TEAM TO WATCH: ALABAMA
Sherrell has been close to committing to Alabama on two different occasions now, the last of which being a scheduled Aug. 13 commitment announcement that was nixed at the 11th hour. Since then, things have been pretty quiet, aside from a rumored push from Texas that now appears to have been short-lived.
Alabama head coach Nate Oats visited the priority target and his family in Atlanta last week in hopes of finally closing the deal. Because of the situation’s volatile history and Sherrell’s pro upside the Tide need to be aware of pro options, but ‘Bama still seems to be in the driver’s seat here. Sherrell’s fit within Oats’ system is obvious and has become a major selling point.
Alabama fans should be confident here, even if it’s unclear exactly what the holdup is all about.
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2. JALIL BETHEA
TEAM TO WATCH: MIAMI
Bethea will announce his commitment at 3 p.m. ET on Wednesday (Sept. 20), and all signs point to the Hurricanes. The fact that the five-star guard canceled visits to Syracuse and Alabama in the wake of his trip to Coral Gables seems to be good news for a UM program that has been on a bit of a recruiting roll as of late.
Recruitments are never about one person or one singular factor, but Miami assistant DJ Irving’s strong ties to both Philadelphia and Bethea’s Team Final grassroots program certainly haven’t hurt.
Villanova and Kansas are Bethea’s other two finalists, but the Warminster (Pa.) Archbishop Wood guard choosing either of those two schools would be more than a mild surprise. Miami has recruited the high-scoring guard as aggressively as anyone, and all that work seems ready to pay off.
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3. LIAM MCNEELEY
TEAM TO WATCH: INDIANA
In another example of canceled visits telling a story, McNeeley recently squashed his plans for a Sept. 23 official visit to Texas. The news of the cancellation excited Indiana fans, as the frontrunning Hoosiers have been attempting to hold off the Longhorns down the stretch.
Mike Woodson and his staff can now relax a little bit when it comes to UT’s involvement, but it’s less than ideal that Kansas seems to be the last remaining threat based on how the Jayhawks have been recruiting of late. That said, McNeeley’s relationship with the IU staff is strong and longstanding.
A quick close by KU would be not only a shock but a crushing blow to the Hoosiers’ class. Indiana fans should feel confident … well, as confident as anyone can feel with Bill Self hanging around, anyway.
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4. RAKEASE PASSMORE
TEAM TO WATCH: ARKANSAS
Passmore’s commitment is unlikely to take place until after his trip to Arkansas on Oct. 4, as the Razorbacks are the presumed leaders and looking to seal the deal when the 6-foot-5 wing arrives on campus. What the Razorbacks need to guard against for the moment is a momentum shift during Passmore’s upcoming trip to LSU or late involvement from Kansas, which seem to be kicking the tires on Passmore’s recruitment with added gusto as of late.
If a visit to Lawrence is scheduled, it might be time to sweat a little. If not, head coach Eric Musselman and company should feel comfortable as we speed toward the end of the four-star guard’s process.
MORE PASSMORE: Ranking the contenders
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5. KHANI ROOTHS
TEAM TO WATCH: GEORGIA
The Bulldogs have been punching above their usual weight class on the trail under Mike White, and landing Rooths would be another massive step forward on that front. UGA had the four-star forward on campus this past weekend and Rooths seems to be starting to lean ever so slightly in the Bulldogs’ direction after he canceled a trip to Maryland.
Schools such as Virginia Tech, Florida State, Mississippi State and Miami are definitely still alive, but Georgia is among the teams to track in the wake of his second official visit to Athens. A decision might not arrive until Rooths finishes his final scheduled visit, a trip to Miami on Sept. 28, but a decision should arrive by mid-October at the latest.
Rooths is not a lock to Georgia by any means, but assistant coach Akeem Miskdeen has done a spectacular job getting the Dawgs in the thick of the hunt.