College basketball’s late signing period for the 2021 class opened earlier this week and as expected, it's been relatively uneventful so far. However, here are five late signing period developments worth noting.
*****
MORE: Transfers who will be great fits at their new programs
2021 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2022 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2023 Rankings: Top 30
*****
FIVE-STAR EFTON REID POSTPONES ANNOUNCEMENT AT 11TH HOUR
The most tight-lipped recruitment of the 2021 cycle almost met its end on Thursday.
Notoriously mysterious five-star center Efton Reid out of Florida’s IMG Academy seemed set to choose among Pitt, LSU, Ohio State and Florida State and had almost everyone guessing who would receive his letter of intent. He announced his intention to make a Thursday afternoon commitment, and things seemed to be building toward a crescendo.
That crescendo never arrived. Instead, Reid’s mother - aka Mama Bear - called off the scheduled announcement with a tweet at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Reid, who says about as much as a silent film star when it comes to his recruitment, seemed to be leaning toward FSU early in the day before chatter surrounding multiple other teams started to emerge in the afternoon. Then came the postponement. Where things go from here is anyone’s guess, but the intrigue is certainly welcome because the late period has been otherwise low on true drama thus far.
Reid’s recruitment isn’t expected to drag out much longer. Then again, it was originally supposed to be over by now.
*****
TENNESSEE CATCHES FIRE DOWN THE STRETCH
One of the hottest teams in America, Tennessee has been active over the last few weeks and have stocked the cupboard with haste. Rick Barnes added four-star big Jonas Aidoo (No. 33 nationally) a day before landing five-star Brandon Huntley-Hatfield, who will reclassify from 2022 to 2021 and play for the Vols next season. This all comes a few weeks before Barnes landed French import Quentin Diboundje, who is coming off a massive season at Montverde Academy and has incredible sleeper potential due to having played just one season of basketball in the United States.
The Vols' 2021-22 roster will also include early-period get Kennedy Chandler, a five-star point guard. Expect Barnes' program to make some noise in what is starting to look like a crowded SEC next season. No team has done more to shape its roster through traditional recruiting in recent weeks.
*****
HOLMGREN AND BALDWIN REMAIN ON THE BOARD … FOR NOW
We’re late in the cycle, and most top prospects have a home. Still, two of the top five players in America remain on the board.
In an official sense, No. 1 overall prospect Chet Holmgren remains up for grabs because no official announcement about his college future has been made. Unofficially, the 7-foot unicorn seems headed to Gonzaga, which has long led his recruitment. At this point, his commitment to the Zags seems to be more of a matter of “when” rather than “if.”
Patrick Baldwin Jr.'s situation, on the other hand, is a bit more complicated. Not long ago, the prevailing thought was the No. 4 prospect in the 2021 class would land in the Summit League and play for his father at Milwaukee. These days, both Duke and Georgetown are in the thick of the race and things seem less a tad certain than they once did. Baldwin has announced no timetable for a decision, but whenever it comes expect the Blue Devils, Panthers or Hoyas to be the beneficiary.
*****
SAMFORD PULLS UPSET, LANDS CARDET
One of the biggest surprises of the late period thus far involved top 100 wing Wesley Cardet, who passed on some high-major options to sign with SoCon underdog Samford on Thursday. A consensus four-star recruit, Cardet held offers from Big 12, SEC and ACC schools. And while some of the said schools reached their scholarship limit, the Florida-based star had plenty of options left on the table.
“I’ve never been the one to follow the crowd,” Cardet told Rivals.com via text following his announcement. “I’m betting on myself, and hopefully one day, the crowd will follow me.”
Cardet has built a solid relationship with Bulldogs head coach Bucky McMillan, who gets a lot of the credit for landing the 6-foot-6 slasher, but assistant coach Gerald Gillion, whom Cardet refers to as his uncle, also deserves a tip of the cap.
*****
CUFFE JR. SIGNS WITH KANSAS AHEAD OF SCHEDULE
Four-star guard Kyle Cuffe Jr. committed to Kansas as a member of the class of 2022 in mid-December, but his timeline was suddenly accelerated on Thursday, when he announced he’d arrive on KU’s campus in June as a member of the 2021 class.
The news delighted Kansas fans, as the Jayhawks lacked a shooter of Cuffe’s consistency at times last season. The New York-based Cuffe will now join a five-member KU recruiting class that boasts three four-star signees.
