Wednesday Leftovers: Okla. State, Jaden McDaniels, Mike White's future
RANKINGS: 2019 Rivals150 | 2019 Team rankings | 2019 Position rankings
While all eyes remain on the madness that is March, questions loom to the short and long-term futures of a number of up-and-coming programs. In this week’s Wednesday’s Leftovers, we take a deep dive into Oklahoma State’s chances with last weekend’s visitors, the latest with Jaden McDaniels, Pitt’s 2019 recruiting board, how Tennessee goes about adding to its 2020 class, and whether Mike White’s seat should be hot in Gainesville.
I do not see Oklahoma State landing both Isaiah Todd and Christian Brown but I do give the Cowboys about a 50 percent chance of at least nabbing one of the two. I feel most comfortable predicting Brown for OK State even though they have recruited Todd longer.
Todd has the chance to reclassify into the 2019 class this spring. Kentucky was the most recent to offer and a visit could be in the works. However, it is that North Carolina has a good shot with him when it comes to his commitment.
Brown, on the other hand, has taken his time with the process and while many had believed that he would end up at Clemson or NC State at one point in time, it seems as if things remain relatively wide open. The two ACC programs remain involved, but look for Brown to take his final two official visits before committing this spring.
We covered Matthew Hurt in yesterday’s #TwitterTuesday but for Jaden McDaniels, things remain on the backburner. We talked with him last month as his plans were to complete his team’s state title run and then take a deeper look at his recruitment shortly thereafter.
I asked him specifically if UCLA was still involved despite the coaching change in Westwood and he was not willing to say that he had cut them from his list. Along with the Bruins, Kentucky, San Diego State, Texas and Washington round out his final five. I honestly believe that he has not given his recruitment much thought and most of the communication has been through his parents, not McDaniels, this winter. That will change over the next few weeks as I expect for a commitment sometime next month and believe that UK, Texas and Washington sit in the best spot.
Pitt is still my prediction for Justin Champagnie and Julian Champagnie. The talented brothers spent an official visit at Pitt two weeks ago as they remain in the 2020 class but will likely make the leap into the 2019 class this spring, thus leading to a college enrollment in the fall. A commitment this month would come as no surprise while Dayton, Rutgers, and St. John’s are just a few others that continue to pursue, though Pitt is the team to beat.
By adding the two, Pitt would have four 2019 commitments, but Jeff Capel and his staff still want more. However, the class has been rummaged with it being this late in the year as the best option would be to either pursue a grad-transfer, junior college player, or wait for decommitments to hit following the various coaching changes this spring. They have continued to monitor Ibrahima Diallo, a near 7-footer that visited the program two weeks ago alongside the Champagnie brothers.
Yes, I think that it is definitely in the cards. Tennessee made its first mark in the 2020 class on Sunday thanks to the commitment of top-30 forward Corey Walker. In the past, Tennessee relied on finding hard-playing, competitive prospects that were slighted for one reason or another, but now they are landing ready-made types that still exhibit such gritty attributes.
Walker might just be the tip of the iceberg for a spectacular class. He visited the Knoxville campus with five-star Jaden Springer over the weekend and I would not be surprised if he were to say yes to the Vols, too. You can throw in Keon Johnson who has already visited the program. PJ Hall might not be a giant reach for Rick Barnes’ squad, as well.
Others to keep tabs on include Norance Berry, Justice Ajogbor and Walker Kessler. Their 2020 class could realistically consist of Walker, Springer, Johnson and Hall, all of which would be, as you say, elite.
Sorry, but I just do not see it. I guess the loss to Georgia might be fresh on your mind and that they have the chance to miss the NCAA Tournament despite the bubble being as soft as ever, but there is no heat on Mike White.
Florida is currently starting three freshmen that should all return next year even better, all while enrolling a top-10 recruiting class that consists of three top-50 prospects. I get that they are not enjoying the success of the great Billy Donovan teams, but they have won at least a game in the NCAA Tournament over the last two seasons in which they finished top-three within the SEC, and, at the same time, they are killing it on the recruiting trail.
White is an up-and-coming coach that has changed his team’s playing style for the betterment of his personnel. He has continually shown the capacity to have his teams playing their best towards the end of the year. Now, if they do not show the proper progressions from this season to next, then you might be onto something.
