Kentucky has the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class. How’s the rest of the SEC doing?
With Kentucky once again leading the way, the 2020 basketball recruiting cycle has been an impressive one for the Southeastern Conference.
Along with UK’s nationally No. 1-ranked incoming group, the SEC has two other top 10 recruiting classes and a total of five ranked among the top 25 in the country. Only the Big 12 — with six top-25 classes — has more, and some of the SEC’s most successful recruiters are expected to add to their 2020 hauls.
Though just 12 high school seniors in the 247Sports composite top 100 remain uncommitted — meaning there isn’t much room for dramatic change in the team recruiting rankings — SEC programs appear well-positioned to land a handful of those recruits.
Here’s a team-by-team look at how the conference has recruited the 2020 class so far, and how the league might add even more to its incoming classes between now and the regular signing period in April.
Kentucky
National rank: No. 1.
Incoming recruits: No. 4 Terrence Clarke, No. 15 Brandon Boston, No. 20 Devin Askew, No. 27 Isaiah Jackson, No. 36 Lance Ware, No. 44 Cam’Ron Fletcher.
Class breakdown: The Wildcats signed a total of six players in November — a record high in the early signing period during John Calipari’s tenure at UK — and something unforeseen would have to happen for them not to finish the 2020 recruiting cycle with the nation’s No. 1 class. Clarke — a 6-foot-7 shooting guard — should end up as the Cats’ first top-five national signee in five years. Boston — a 6-6 shooting guard — is off to a stellar start to his senior season and appears due for a bump in the rankings on the next update.
Kentucky still has scholarship offers out to two uncommitted frontcourt recruits: No. 8 prospect Greg Brown and No. 48 player Cliff Omoruyi. And the Cats are thought to be a top-tier choice for 6-8 forward Jonathan Kuminga, who is the unanimous No. 1 recruit in the 2021 class and is widely expected to reclassify up this summer.
Arkansas
National rank: No. 5.
Incoming recruits: No. 45 Moses Moody, No. 70 Jaylin Williams, No. 74 KK Robinson, No. 100 Davonte Davis.
Class breakdown: Less than a year on the job, Eric Musselman is already getting things done at Arkansas, which has one of the nation’s best recruiting classes thanks to a quartet of homegrown stars. Though two of the Razorbacks’ four commitments for next season are playing at out-of-state prep schools, the whole group is originally from Arkansas, and Musselman’s success in keeping them home for college will lead to the program’s first top 25 national recruiting class since 2013. Arkansas is also still in the mix for perimeter scorer Kyree Walker, the No. 39 national recruit who left his prep school this season and is deciding whether to try the professional route or attend college.
Tennessee
National rank: No. 6.
Incoming recruits: No. 17 Jaden Springer, No. 22 Keon Johnson, No. 37 Corey Walker.
Class breakdown: This group features only three players, but it’s high on quality and shaping up as the best class yet for Volunteers head coach Rick Barnes, who has, surprisingly, never had a top 25 national class at the school, according to the 247Sports rankings. Springer — a 6-5 shooting guard — was on Kentucky’s radar early in the process, and Johnson — another 6-5 shooting guard — is one of the most dynamic players in the class: an elite athlete who has shown good outside shooting touch and has the ability to be a lockdown perimeter defender. Tennessee is one of only four schools with three top-40 players in this class. The others are UK, Duke and North Carolina. That’s pretty good company for the Vols.
Auburn
National rank: No. 17.
Incoming recruits: No. 18 Sharife Cooper, No. 127 Chris Moore, No. 155 Justin Powell.
Class breakdown: Few high school prospects in the country are as fun to watch as Cooper, the diminutive, do-it-all point guard who became the first recruit ever to win MaxPreps.com’s national player of the year award as a junior last season. Powell — a sharp-shooting, 6-5 guard from Louisville — has struggled from behind the arc this season but is still averaging 22.2 points per game for North Oldham.
Like Kentucky, the Tigers are finalists for top-50 recruits Greg Brown and Cliff Omoruyi, and Auburn is one of the most-talked-about destinations for No. 1 junior Jonathan Kuminga, should he decide to reclassify to 2020. Also like UK, the Tigers hosted Philippines center Kai Sotto — No. 65 and rising in the 2020 rankings — for a recruiting visit this season.
Louisiana State
National rank: No. 24.
Incoming recruits: No. 25 Cameron Thomas, No. 140 Jalen Cook, No. 229 Bradley Ezewiro.
Class breakdown: Thomas — a 6-3 shooting guard at Oak Hill Academy (Va.) — is the highlight of LSU Coach Will Wade’s latest recruiting class, but there could be more help on the way. Though No. 1 junior Jonathan Kuminga did not include the Tigers on his latest list of top schools, LSU has long been linked to his recruitment, and the Herald-Leader has been told that the Tigers remain a real threat — along with UK, Auburn and Duke — to eventually land his commitment. Kuminga’s reclassification decision is not expected to be made until the summer.
Georgia
National rank: No. 30.
Incoming recruits: No. 117 Josh Taylor, No. 144 K.D. Johnson, No. 4 junior-college prospect Mikal Starks, No. 9 junior-college prospect Jonathan Ned.
Class breakdown: The Bulldogs landed the No. 1 player in the 247Sports rankings last year (current freshman Anthony Edwards) but they don’t have a Top 100 high school commitment for next season. Georgia does have two of the top junior-college prospects in the country, teammates Starks and Ned, who are ranked as the nation’s No. 1 juco point guard and No. 1 juco small forward, respectively, in this recruiting cycle. Tom Crean has also worked his way into the mix for power forward JT Thor, who is ranked as the No. 49 high school recruit in the 2020 class. Thor, who is playing his senior season in Georgia, is also listing Kansas and Oklahoma State, which have both extended scholarship offers, and Kentucky, which has not offered.
Florida
National rank: No. 31.
Incoming recruits: No. 108 Samson Ruzhentsev, No. 121 Niels Lane, No. 5 junior-college prospect Osayi Osifo.
Class breakdown: This group is a comedown for Gators head coach Mike White, who landed two McDonald’s All-Americans and No. 1-ranked graduate transfer Kerry Blackshear in the 2019 recruiting cycle, finishing with the nation’s No. 8 class last year. This trio is still solid, and Osifo is considered to be the top juco power forward in the country.
Texas A&M
National rank: No. 37.
Incoming recruits: No. 66 Hassan Diarra, No. 221 Hayden Hefner, No. 329 LaDamien Bradford.
Class breakdown: Diarra — a 6-2 point guard who attends the same prep school that produced Hamidou Diallo — is the clear top prospect in Buzz Williams’ first full class as A&M’s head coach.
Mississippi State
National rank: No. 54.
Incoming recruits: No. 53 Deivon Smith, No. 299 Cameron Matthews.
Class breakdown: Smith — a 5-11 point guard — leads Ben Howland’s two-player class and is actually pegged as the No. 43 overall prospect in the country, according to 247Sports’ in-house rankings.
Rest of the SEC
▪ South Carolina has the No. 75 recruiting class in the country with commitments from a pair of in-state post players: Patrick Iriel (No. 296) and Ja’Von Benson (No. 365).
▪ Mississippi has the No. 80 class with just one commitment, but it’s a high-quality pickup: IMG Academy (Fla.) shooting guard Matthew Murrell, who is the No. 47 overall player in the class.
▪ Alabama’s class is next at No. 85 with just one commitment: power forward Keon Ambrose-Hylton, the No. 81 overall player in the 2020 class.
▪ Jerry Stackhouse’s first full class at Vanderbilt is ranked No. 91 nationally with just one high school commitment: small forward Myles Stute, who is No. 171 in the country.
▪ Missouri is last in the SEC and No. 122 nationally with just one commitment: 7-foot-2 center Jordan Wilmore, the No. 407 recruit in the country.
