Micah Handlogten made a name for himself as a freshman at Clemson last season, proving to be a promising big-man prospect that packs versatility and a decent shooting stroke into a 7-foot-1 package.
That’s all to say there’s a reason he fielded a pile of phone calls the minute he hit the portal. Handlogten’s recently announced top-eight consists of Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Missouri, NC State and Virginia, and the center is set to visit UF over the weekend.
Rivals recently caught up with the former Marshall big to discuss where things stand with his portal recruitment.
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2023 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2024 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team
2025 Rankings: Top 80
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ON HOW HE DESCRIBES HIS GAME:
“I’d say that I’m not really a traditional big. I mean, yes, I’m 7-foot-1, but I’m rather thin for a 7-foot-1 person. That gives me the chance to be really mobile. I’m very good at running and moving and stuff like that. I’m a lot quicker than most bigs are, and I think I have the ability to play the four and the five. I have that versatility. I can step out, shoot 3s, be a pick-and-roll guy and, when mismatches happen, I can be that back-to-the-basket type.”
ON SCHOOLS HE HAS HEARD FROM SINCE HITTING TO THE PORTAL:
"Florida, Auburn, NC State, Virginia, Indiana, Missouri, Wake Forest, Arkansas, Clemson and a couple others."
ON UPCOMING VISITS:
"I’m going on a visit to Florida this weekend. Then, I’m in the works of setting them up with NC State and Auburn. Virginia reached out about an hour ago to try to set up a visit, too."
ON FLORIDA:
"One thing I like about Florida is their style of play. With Coach [Todd] Golden, who was obviously at San Francisco before … When I look back at their play style, one thing I noticed was that they let their bigs be a play-maker, which is part of my skill set. One thing I do is pass the ball very well. I can make smart decisions with it. They want to get the ball in, let the big do his work and then kick it out for 3s. They play fast with a lot of running, which I like."
ON HOW HE'D FIT WITH THE GATORS ON DEFENSE:
"I love the ice on defense because that allows me to block shots easier. I kinda thrived with that at Marshall. I think a big reason I was successful is because a lot of our defensive schemes forced them to me so I could block the shot. I like that Florida does that, too. I also like that they have a track record of developing bigs similar to me, like they did with [Colin] Castleton.”
RIVALS' REACTION
Handlogten has three seasons of eligibility remaining, which makes his freshman numbers (7.8 PPG, 9.3 RBG and 2.3 BBP) extra encouraging. He’s likely to land at the high-major level with Florida and NC State among the schools to watch closely. That said, the floor-spacing big man brings a rare skill set to the table, so his list of suitors may not be finished growing.
