Four-Star PG Jalen Reece recaps visits to Ohio State, LSU, Cincinnati & talks recruitment
Four-star point guard Jalen Reece is the No. 77 overall player in the 2025 On3 Industry Rankings — a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. The 5-foot-10 junior out of Oak Ridge in Orlando spoke to On3 to discuss his three college visits and the overall state of his early college recruitment.
Reece recaps visits
Cincinnati: “It was a great visit. It’s always good to be home — I have family there. I’m close with Jizzle James so he told me a lot about the place. Just knowing that’s a place I could be, going back home, it would be cool. I was born in Orlando but I’ve spent a lot of time in Cincinnati. My family is from there.
“(The relationship with the coaching staff) is good. They call me a lot, text me a lot. They’re really active. So knowing that they want me, that’s good to know.”
LSU: “It was a cool visit. Just knowing that players like Antonio Blakeney and Ben Simmons went there, those are people I look up to. Knowing that its my turn to go and put the jersey on and just having the ability to go over there and play. (Antonio Blakeney) means a lot to me personally. That’s like my big brother. I remember last year he told me to always be the last one out of the gym. He’s given me a lot of tricks and tips and I work out with him in the summer. I love our relationship.
Ohio State: “The Ohio State visit was good. It’s basically home too. It’s like an hour away from Cincinnati. (Ohio State) is my dream school. Just knowing that I could go to my dream school, I’ve always watched them and was a fan of D’Angelo Russell. Bruce Thornton, who is there now, I have a relationship with him as well. It’s good to know that I could go over there and play.”
I also asked Jalen what it’s like being recruited by his dream school. His response: “It feels good but sometimes you never know where will be the best fit for you. Maybe your dream school isn’t the best fit for you so I’m just looking for wherever the best fit is for me.”
Other schools involved
Along with the three schools he’s visited, Jalen Reece says there are a few other schools also recruiting him, including Providence, Penn State, Illinois, and Kansas State.
Providence is also recruiting Reece’s high school teammate, Jamier Jones.
He says the Friars’ staff want the two to team-up in college.
“They want both of us,” he says. “They want both of us to come in together. They’ve been having good talks with us. It looks like Jamier liked his visit, so we’ll see.”
Penn State: “They’ve been calling, texting me since the first time they could reach me. They’ve been saying they like my game and that they’re going to keep coming down and seeing me.”
Illinois: “The Big 10, that’s a good place. A really good area to play in, a good environment. They play against the top teams every year and they have a good program.”
Kansas State: “They’re a good guard school and produce good guards. They had Barry Brown. I used to work out with him and he would tell me a lot about the school. The coaches call me a lot, text me a lot. So I’m thinking of that school too.
Reece doesn’t currently have any college visits scheduled, but says he would like to see Kansas State and Providence at some point.
What he’s looking for in a school
A college decision isn’t imminent for Jalen Reece, but he does know what he’s looking for in a school.
“An opportunity to play right away,” he says. “Obviously I know I will have to do my part with that as well. Just a school that’s the best fit, treat me as a equal, and a place where its like home.”