Recruiting Rumor Mill: Liam McNeeley, Oregon chatter, reclass candidates
College basketball is in the throes of its most important month, but that doesn’t mean buzz on the recruiting trail has slowed. There are storylines abound when it comes to the 2024 class and rumors and innuendo surround a number of different teams and prospects.
Below, Rivals national analyst Rob Cassidy takes a spin around the rumor mill and dishes on what he’s hearing behind the scenes.
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KANSAS STANDS AT CENTER OF MCNEELEY SWEEPSTAKES
Moments after five-star Liam McNeeley asked out of his letter of intent with Indiana, buzz began to build about the Jayhawks’ involvement. In the wake of his decommitment, I wrote that Kansas was clearly the team to watch, and nothing on that front seems to have changed whatsoever a week later.
The McNeeley family is staying pretty quiet about the five-star’s process for now, but no other team has emerged as a serious suitor to this point, and it’s starting to seem as though other teams have accepted that former IU signee will ultimately land in Lawrence.
Texas, which was very much involved the first time around, does not seem to be a player and there has been no buzz of other programs swooping in to get McNeeley in for a visit. Things change quickly in recruiting, but no news is good news for Kansas, as, at least for now, it seems to be the only team truly in the arena when it comes to McNeeley’s second recruitment.
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FLORIDA STATE SLOWLY TRENDING FOR DAQUON DAVIS
It’s difficult to find anyone in the know to tell you point blank whether it will be Georgia Tech or Florida State for four-star guard Daquan Davis, but now people close to the situation are discussing the Seminoles as a possible ever-so-slight leader, which stands in opposition to what the buzz was roughly a week ago, even if it remains near neck-and-neck.
The Overtime Elite standout has narrowed his list to include just the Yellow Jackets and Seminoles, and people around both programs were optimistic about their chances as of early this week. The picture of Davis’ recruitment should clear in the next week, however, as time is ticking toward decision day.
Still, it seems as though Florida State has made a serious move while the Yellow Jackets are starting to feel more positive about their chances with Justin Pippen than they do about Davis.
When it comes to Davis, I’d give an ever-so-slight edge to Florida State for the time being, but this is a recruitment that feels very much up in the air a week before its conclusion, as Georgia Tech remains alive in the hunt. It’s why I’ve yet to log a FutureCast either way.
“Nothing definitive as of now,” said one source close to Davis’ recruitment on Wednesday morning.
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COULD AN OREGON SIGNEE RETURN TO THE MARKET?
There were some under-the-surface rumblings about four-star guard Vyctorius Miller and his standing as an Oregon signee in the wake of the Ducks' rocky season and swirling rumors about retirement surrounding head coach Dana Altman. Altman has since shot down those rumors, but how much that helped put Miller at ease is unknown.
So while it’s no sure thing as things stand now, Miller could well end up back on the market before all is said and done. He could also end up enrolling at Oregon as planned. There were internal conversations about opening things back up taking place last week, however, so the situation definitely remains something to monitor going forward.
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RECLASSIFICATION WATCH IS WELL UNDER WAY
Uncommitted prospects such as 2025 guards Joson Sanon and Mikel Brown remain strong candidates to reclass up a year and land in the class of 2024. Sanon recently took a visit to Kentucky and seems to be a major Wildcat target regardless of which class he ultimately lands in, but the Wildcats seem to be pursuing him, at least for now, as a class of 2024 prospect. Meanwhile, Brown seems interested in programs such as UCF, Texas and Alabama.
A few committed juniors may also land in the class of 2024 before all is said and done, however, and Providence-bound big man Oswin Ehrunmwunse is among those worth watching. Ehrunmwunse committed to the Friars back in January and may play some of the summer circuit before putting the finishing touches on his reclass in the same manner that North Carolina’s Elliot Cadeau did a season ago.