I've Got Five On It: Programs building recruiting momentum
The bluebloods and perennial recruiting juggernauts get the most ink, but there’s plenty to be said about teams on the rise when it comes to college basketball recruiting. The past year has featured a number of programs seeming to take a massive step forward when it comes to attracting top talent, so this week’s I Got Five On It explores five teams that seem to be on the come up on the recruiting trail.
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Ranking the Contenders: Five-star Naas Cunningham
2023 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2024 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team
2025 Rankings: Top 80
Transfer Portal: Latest news
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RUTGERS
There might not be a more obvious team in a discussion about programs currently punching over its traditional weight. The Scarlet Knights have been revived under seventh-year head coach Steve Pikiell. The results on the floor are already coming, as Rutgers is coming off back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances, a feat it has not accomplished since the Gerald Ford administration.
Now the recruiting results are following suit. RU recently landed its highest-ranked prospect in history in the form of 2024 five-star Airious Bailey, the No. 5 prospect in the class. Four-star point guard commit Dellquan Warren may be a tad undersized but is among the most productive floor-generals in the class. Rutgers also remains a player for five-stars Dylan Harper and Naasir Cunningham. And while the Scarlet Knights have a much better chance of landing Harper than Cunningham, it’s clear that the program is being viewed in a different light than it was not so long ago.
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KANSAS STATE
Kansas State had some serious on-court success under its last regime, but it’s been awhile since the program made any real noise on the recruiting trail. That seems to be changing under first-year head coach Jerome Tang, who proved himself to be a master of the transfer portal in his first offseason as a head coach. Tang took a depleted roster and has built a no-doubt NCAA tournament team from near-scratch this season.
Next year promises more of the same, as the Wildcats have signed multiple top-100 recruits (Darrin Ames and RJ Jones) for the first time since 2009. K-State is involved with 2024 prospects such as David Castillo and Isaiah Elohim, among others, and should be able to use its impressive season to open additional doors in 2024 and 2025.
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CINCINNATI
Wes Miller has the Bearcats rolling at the right time, as the program eyes its transition to the Big 12. The 2023 cycle saw Cincinnati land in-demand point guard Edgerrin James, the No. 55 prospect in the class, along with top-100 forward Rayvon Griffith. Miller and company also made a serious run at the No. 1 prospect in the country when it narrowly missed on Isaiah Collier.
The 2024 cycle is starting to look every bit as promising as the last, as Cincy is thought to have the inside track to land No. 2 overall prospect Flory Bidunga and is alive for top-100 prospect Travis Perry, a point guard from Kentucky.
Cincinnati seems to be building a roster capable of making some noise upon arrival in the best basketball league in the country next season, and the stars seem to be aligning for the Bearcats to take the next step as a program.
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GEORGIA
The Bulldogs have found themselves among the favorites to land five-star Asa Newell and the fact that UGA has already won more games this season than it did in either of the previous two years says plenty about the program’s trajectory under first-year head coach Mike White.
If Georgia can win just two more games this year, it will boast its best win total since the 2017-18 season. UGA may not ever be able to consistently stand toe-to-toe with the bluebloods but it did manage to land four-star wing Dylan James and Rivals150 guard Mari Jordan in 2023. If it’s able to grab Newell in 2024, the momentum in Athens will continue to build.
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IOWA STATE
The Cyclones have had their share of recruiting success in the past, but the program's recent run has been remarkable when you consider the program was coming off of a two-win shortened season and searching for an identity in 2021. Things have changed abruptly following the hire of T.J. Otzelberger and his Sweet 16 run last season.
The 2023 cycle saw Iowa State land its highest-ranked recruit ever in No. 14 prospect Omaha Billew, a five-star forward. The 2023 cycle also saw the Cyclones land three prospects ranked four-stars or higher for the first time since Rivals started ranking recruits.
Otzelberger also already has three prospects in the fold for 2023, and the class is highlighted by No. 70 overall prospect Dwayne Pierce. The recent recruit success combined with the fact that the Cyclones are once again a solid bet to advance in the NCAA tournament suggests that the recent run on the trail will be closer to the rule than the exception for the Otzelberger era.