Ranking the Contenders: Four-star Brandon Stores Jr.
A top-100 prospect in the class of 2025 is set to come off the board on Monday, when four-star guard Brandon Stores Jr. announces his college choice. The New York-based Stores holds a long list of major offers but has narrowed his list to include just Xavier, Georgia Tech and Rutgers.
Today, Rivals.com basketball recruiting director Rob Cassidy previews Stores’ impending announcement by ranking the contenders to land his pledge when he announces it on Monday afternoon.
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1. GEORGIA TECH
The Yellow Jackets have seen their recruiting profile rise quickly under first-year head coach Damon Stoudamire, and being seen as the solid front-runner to land Stores is just the latest example. Obviously NIL money is as important as anything in the modern game, but being able to sell an NBA pedigree, as Stoudamire does, is certainly a perk as well.
Georgia Tech has felt like a serious player in the Stores sweepstakes since the four-star guard’s September official visit to Atlanta, but it seems to have really separated itself in the last month or so. Holding off Rutgers hasn't exactly been easy for teams in the last year, but Georgia Tech seems up to the task in this case.
There’s no such thing as a lock in recruiting, but Tech fans should feel optimistic as Stores speeds toward his Monday announcement.
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2. RUTGERS
The Scarlet Knights shouldn’t be counted out totally, even if it feels like they have work left to do in the final days if they hope to overtake the Yellow Jackets as the front-runner. Rutgers offers familiarity, as its New Jersey campus sits just 25 miles away from Stores' high school. It also offers a promising future, as the Knights seem to be headed in the right direction on the recruiting trail.
Its loaded 2024 class is headlined by No. 2 overall prospect Airious Bailey and No. 4 overall prospect Dylan Harper, and the momentum built by that class doesn’t seem to be fading. Stores took an official visit to Rutgers just prior to his Georgia Tech trip, and head coach Steve Pikiell and company should be seen as the only real threat to steal his pledge from the Yellow Jackets.
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3. XAVIER
The Musketeers don’t feel like a serious player at this juncture, but Stores included the program in his final three so they’re listed here. Head coach Sean Miller offered Stores back in June but things never seemed to get super serious between the sides, leaving Xavier as the heavy underdog heading into Monday.
At this point, it feels like it would take a cosmic act for the four-star guard to land with the Musketeers.