In this week’s edition of McDonald’s Nuggets, Dan McDonald recaps a strong week of commitments in the SEC – and a big one for Michigan. He also addresses an important visit to watch at Kentucky.
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RELATED: Arkansas lands Jordan Walsh
2022 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2023 Rankings: Rivals150
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STARTING FIVE: Commits of the Week
Will Wade has earned a reputation as one of the top recruiters in the country and was back at it again this week as he landed one of the top prospects in the country. In what was one of the recruitments that kept everyone guessing, LSU won the recruiting battle for five-star small forward Julian Phillips (1). The Tigers edged out Florida State, Tennessee and UNC for the 6-foot-8 wing with NBA upside.
Like Wade, Eric Musselman has had no issues recruiting top talent to Arkansas. This week, the Razorbacks were able to reel in Jordan Walsh (2), the No. 31 prospect in the Rivals150. The 6-foot-7 wing picked Arkansas over Texas on Thursday evening. Musselman is the perfect coach for Walsh to continue his development as he has all the tools to become a really good SEC player and potentially even an NBA career.
On the opposite end of the spectrum from Phillips, Jett Howard (3) choosing Michigan was one of the least surprising moves in the 2022 class. But that doesn’t take away from it being a huge deal for the Wolverines. The highly ranked four-star prospect gives his dad a sharp-shooting wing with size that can also take on some ball-handling duties as needed.
Ole Miss received one of the biggest commitments since Kermit Davis took over the program when Malique Ewin (4) chose the Rebels this week. The four-star post player out of Georgia is super skilled and a really good athlete. He has moments where he looks like a future NBA player. Consistency will be the key for him going forward, and he chose a great coaching staff and program for him to work toward that.
Vanderbilt scored its fourth commitment in the 2022 class and its third prospect out of Texas with the addition of Colin Smith (5). The 6-foot-8 combo forward is one of the more reliable shooters in the class and a really high IQ player. The four-star prospect reeled in scholarship offers from all over the country before settling on the Commodores.
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VISIT TO WATCH: DJ Wagner to Kentucky
The most important official visits usually involve seniors, but when the No. 1 prospect in the junior class lines one up he jumps to the front of the line. DJ Wagner, son of former Memphis star and NBA player Dajuan Wagner, will be taking his first official visit this weekend to Kentucky for Big Blue Madness.
John Calipari coached Wagner at Memphis, which gives the Wildcats a big advantage in his recruitment. The big obstacle for Kentucky getting him to Lexington for a year will be competing with the opportunity to play in the G-League or other professional options. Getting him on campus, though, could be a sign that he does have a desire to play college basketball.
