Recruiting season is in full swing, as prospects are flying off the board and official visits are taking place all over the country. So this week in the Rivals Roundtable, national recruiting analysts Rob Cassidy and Travis Graf discuss three topics related to the flurry of activity at hand.
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1. WHICH RECENT COMMITMENT DO YOU SEE AS THE BIGGEST GET?
Cassidy: Baylor landing Jason Asemota this early in the cycle is huge in my opinion because Asemota has all the tools in place to be a special player down the road. The class of 2024 wing isn’t polished just yet, but he’s 6-foot-9 and capable of shooting the lights out. You simply can’t teach that. He could develop into a pro if he gets more comfortable taking defenders off the dribble and using his obvious strength to finish at the rim more consistently. Asemota is already highly ranked but has the potential to be even better than he is right now if things click in the years ahead.
Graf: Tennessee coming from behind to land J.P. Estrella at the end of the race was very impressive work by the Volunteer coaching staff. The four-star big man gives Rick Barnes his second big piece to the recruiting class alongside fellow four-star Freddie Dilione. Estrella projects to be a very good college basketball player and could continue to grow his professional upside as he gets more comfortable in his recently-growing body. His all-around skill set will be a treat for Tennessee fans to watch during his stay in Knoxville.
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2. WHICH UNCOMMITTED 2023 PROSPECT’S RECRUITMENT SEEMS LEAST PREDICTABLE?
Cassidy: The real answer here is probably Mikey Williams, as nobody seems to have a handle on which direction the wind is blowing there, but I’ll go with Kaden Cooper. Cooper once looked like a Gonzaga lean, but the longer we go without the four-star wing making his way to Spokane, the more wide open his recruitment seems. Kansas is starting to like its chances in the race to land his pledge, and Cooper is visiting LSU over the weekend. The picture of the Oklahoma-based standout’s recruitment will likely be a lot clearer in a few weeks, but it feels like a massive question mark for now.
Graf: Like Rob said, Mikey Williams is my most obvious answer, but for conversation sake I’ll go with AJ Johnson. Texas is probably seen as having the recent momentum, but it’s far from over. LSU, NC State, and Louisville are also in the hunt and it wouldn’t be surprising to see one of those programs surge at some point. It’ll also be interesting to see if USC can get his visit rescheduled or not. At the end of the day, the G-League Ignite will also be an option for Johnson as well.
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3. WHICH WEEKEND OFFICIAL VISIT TO SEE AS MOST CRUCIAL?
Cassidy: Dennis Parker getting on campus at NC State feels like a make-or-break situation, as the Wolfpack are a serious player in the race to land the four-star wing. Oklahoma State and Georgetown, both of which have also gotten Parker on campus, are threats but it seems like Kevin Keatts could use this weekend to create some separation between his program and everyone else should all go well.
Graf: Dennis Evans is rounding up a visit to TCU, and in my opinion, that recruitment is going to come down to them and Minnesota, with an outside shot of him ending up in Kansas. With that recruitment geared towards those short list of schools, every visit is crucial. Could the Horned Frogs do enough on his visit to position themselves to land the most highly ranked recruited in program history?
