Ranking the Contenders: Judah Mintz
With three visits in the books, Judah Mintz is ready to put a bow on his college recruitment. The four-star guard has hit the campuses of Georgetown, Penn State and Pitt in recent days and will share his choice with the world on June 18.
Below, Rivals.com tries its hand at ranking the contenders to land the four-star’s commitment come decision day.
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2021 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2022 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2023 Rankings: Top 30
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1. PITTSBURGH
The presumptive favorite by a solid margin, Pitt had Mintz on campus a week ago. Buzz of an impending decision date started to build shortly thereafter, which seems like good news for Panther fans. The Rivals150 guard has long had a strong relationship with Jeff Capel and was finally able to meet the Pitt head coach in person on his visit.
The four-star guard had his family in tow on his trip to campus and everything seems to be setting up for a commitment come Friday.
Mintz is not a total Pitt lock per se, but the Panthers certainly occupy the top spot here for good reason. Mintz’s official visit seemed like a don’t-mess-it-up endeavor and it feels like Capel and company did their job on that front.
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2. PENN STATE
If there’s something to be said about the final official visit, it should be said about Penn State. Mintz was on the Nittany Lions’ campus less than a week ago, so whatever post-visit high took hold is likely still lingering. Penn State offered Mintz back in April and has done a solid job building a relationship in short order, with head coach Micah Shrewsberry taking the lead.
The DC-area star also has a family connection to current Penn State guard Myles Dread. Shrewsberry’s program was decidedly an underdog when Mintz’s visit began, so the trip was about closing whatever gap existed. The Nittany Lions are definitely a real option.
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3. GEORGETOWN
Mintz visited Georgetown in the days after his trip to Pitt and the Hoyas are definitely in play to some extent. The allure of home is always a draw, and one made stronger by the wake of a global pandemic.
That said, his visit to campus was of an unofficial variety and it’s difficult to decipher just how serious things are between the four-star guard and Patrick Ewing’s program. Nobody expects the Hoyas to be the pick, but stranger things have happened.
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4. A MYSTERY SCHOOL
There is almost no chance Mintz goes off the page and chooses a school without visiting, but stranger things have happened in recruiting. The only reason such an outcome even warrants mentioning is because the four-star prospect list offers from Florida, Maryland, Wake Forest and a recent one from DePaul. None of those programs seems to be a real player, but it’s prudent to cover even the most unlikely bases.