McDonald's Nuggets: Top five commits of the week, more
In this week’s edition of McDonald’s Nuggets, Dan McDonald recaps a very strong week of commitments leading into the Early Signing Period, plus an early commitment for Tom Crean’s Georgia Bulldogs.
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EARLY SIGNING PERIOD: Top classes as the Early Signing Period begins | Five storylines to watch
2022 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2023 Rankings: Rivals150
2024 Rankings: Top 40
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STARTING FIVE: Top commitments of the week
It had been expected for quite some time, but five-star shooting guard Cason Wallace (1) finally ended his recruitment in favor of Kentucky this week. John Calipari’s program has had the momentum for a while now following a really good official visit. A highly competitive and complete guard on both ends, the Texas native pushes the Wildcats to the top overall class.
BYU also landed one of its top targets this week by keeping four-star shooting guard Collin Chandler (2) home. Mark Pope will have to wait a couple years to coach him as he’ll be doing a mission, but it will be well worth the wait as the Cougars will be in the Big 12 by then. Chandler is one of the top scorers in the class, and he had a terrific summer for the Utah Prospects.
Miami continues to put together a strong 2022 class as Favour Aire (3) became the fourth commitment for the Hurricanes earlier this week. Currently No. 59 overall in the Rivals150, Aire will be a really strong rim protector for Jim Larranaga, and he keeps getting better on the offensive end as well.
Ven-Allen Lubin (4) became a highly sought-after recruit with a really strong summer playing for Southeast Elite. The 6-foot-7 forward brings a ton of versatility, intensity and production to the table. Notre Dame was able to secure the final visit for the Florida native, and the Irish won out for his signature this week.
And once again, Alabama makes an appearance with another four-star addition in Rylan Griffen (5). The 6-foot-5 scoring guard out of Texas took an official visit to Alabama late in October and saw all he needed to sign on with Nate Oats’ program. He’s the fifth member of a class that now ranks No. 3 overall.
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2023 COMMIT OF THE WEEK: Marquavious Brown to Georgia
Tom Crean and his staff were able to secure a talented local prospect early this week as Marquavious Brown decided to end his recruitment early in favor of the Bulldogs. Georgia offered the four-star prospect last week and hosted him on an unofficial visit this past weekend to seal the deal.
Currently No. 89 in the 2023 Rivals150, Brown is a really explosive athlete who can finish with the best of them at the rim. His size and strength at 6-foot-4 allow him to play multiple positions on both ends of the court.
Missouri, Texas Tech and UAB were the other schools Brown considered.