Meyers Mailbag: Latest on Daniels
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Is Duke the team to beat in DeAndre Daniels' recruitment?
Is Tennessee in jeopardy of losing recruits?
And who has the top 2012 recruiting class?
These questions and more are addressed by National Recruiting Analyst Jerry Meyer in this week's mailbag.
Duke makes a move
What are the chances of Duke landing DeAndre Daniels? And what would his impact do to their class rankings?
- Daryl from Bryans Road
Like a race horse coming out of nowhere to take the lead down the stretch, Duke is now neck and neck with Kansas and others and surging forward in the recruitment of Daniels.
A visit hasn't yet been scheduled, but Daniels plans to visit Duke after their season. Just recently Coach Mike Krzyzewski traveled to Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy to watch Daniels work out.
Daniels' other top schools are Kansas, Kentucky, Texas and San Diego State, but they must feel like they are running up hill at this point.
If Duke lands Daniels, it will probably push its recruiting class just slightly above St. John's class into the No. 2 slot behind Kentucky.
Turmoil in Tennessee
Given the restrictions placed on Bruce Pearl for recruiting this year, do you see him holding on to the players that he currently has committed?
- David from Nashville
Tennessee's recruiting is in a precarious position and that is putting it nicely. The heat is on Coach Pearl, and the recent comments by Tennessee athletic director Mike Hamilton have most everyone in Tennessee feeling like there will be a coaching change at the end of this year.
I don't think the recruiting restrictions are the issue right now. The bigger question is whether or not Coach Pearl is the coach after the season.
My take is that if he keeps his job, he will keep his recruits. If he doesn't keep his job, the new coach will likely come to Tennessee and have to put together a new recruiting class.
Top class?
Would a commitment from Jeremy Hollowell give Indiana the #1 class in 2012?
- Nick from Bloomington
As it stands right now, Indiana already has the top 2012 recruiting class. Recruits Hanner Perea and Kevin Ferrell are both five-stars. Ron Patterson is a four-star, and Peter Jurkin is a ranked three-star.
If Hollowell, who is the No. 39-ranked prospect in the Rivals150, does chose Indiana, he will give the Hoosiers a good chance to hold onto the No. 1 spot in the 2012 team recruiting rankings for good.
Indiana's rise
When taking into account all the post players that could leave the Big Ten after this year, do you think that Cody Zeller can provide enough talent to boost the Hoosiers into the top half of the Big Ten next season?
- Richard from Bloomington
Zeller is a promising prospect and Indiana might very well finish in the upper half of the Big Ten, but I would consider it unrealistic to expect Zeller to be an instant difference maker for Indiana.
Zeller will certainly make Indiana better, giving them a more athletic, longer and a better all around player at the center position. It will likely take some time and some maturing physically before Zeller is a dominant player.
UConn update
With the recent run in the Big East and all the NBA players UConn has turned over in the past 10 years, why is recruiting down this year? Where do they stand with players like Trevor Lacey and Andre Drummond?
- Brandon from Knoxville
Connecticut does have only one recruit - Ryan Boatright - in its 2011 class, but Boatright is a dynamic playmaker who is extremely difficult to defend. He is the type of offensive weapon that Connecticut needs with the likelihood of Kemba Walker leaving for the NBA.
Connecticut has had some tough misses in the 2011 class, and the NCAA investigation of the program hasn't helped UConn's recruiting effort either. But when you look at Connecticut's roster, the potential loss of Walker is the only significant loss.
Lacey does have UConn in his top five, but Alabama and Kentucky are the perceived leaders in his recruitment.
UConn is, however, the favorite to land Drummond, who is the No. 1-ranked prospect in the 2012 Rivals150.
Jerry Meyer is a national basketball recruiting analyst for Rivals.com. Click here to send him a question or comment for his mailbag.
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