On3's Recruiting Prediction Machine gives a clear favorite for 4-star Skyy Clark

Four-star guard Skyy Clark will be making his college decision on ESPN at halftime of the State Champions Invitational. On3’s Joe Tipton reported the final six as Louisville, Illinois, Tennessee, Southern Cal, Maryland, and Washington.

One program, however, has taken a commanding lead in On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM). The RMP has Illinois with a 93.2-percent chance of landing the Montverde (FL) Academy guard. Following the Fighting Illini, RPM simply has Kentucky at a 3.8-percent chance.

On3’s engineering group teamed with Spiny.ai to create RPM, the industry’s first algorithm and machine learning-based product to predict where athletes will attend college. It factors in machine learning, expert prediction, social sentiment, visits, and historical trends. However, expert predictions are still a big piece of the RPM equation.

Clark’s recruitment

Clark initially committed to Kentucky in October of 2020. After tearing ligaments in his knee last June and coming back in January, Clark and Kentucky decided to part ways in early March.

Almost immediately, Illinois jumped to the front of the pack. Based on Clark’s previous relationship with assistant coach Tim Anderson. While at DePaul, Anderson issued Clark his first high-major offer in the eighth grade. I put my Crystal Ball pick in for Illinois with high confidence.

What Clark said

“I love Coach (Brad) Underwood. He’s another coach that’s just super cool, and I like the way he pushes his players,” Clark told On3’s Joe Tipton. “That was my first time meeting him (on Illinois’ in-home visit), and he left a really good impression. But I’ve known Coach Tim (Anderson) for as long as I can remember. He recruited me to DePaul in the eighth grade. Me and Coach Tim have always kept a super-strong relationship.”

Why Illinois

Relationship. Clark was committed to Kentucky for the latter part of his high school career. When he de-committed in March, there was not much time to go through the process. Tim Anderson had built a long-standing relationship with Clark and was able to get Illinois right in the door. The meeting with head coach Brad Underwood checked the box, as did the possibility of early playing time. However, nothing had to be forced at the end of the day; the trust was already in place.

What is Illinois getting

Skyy Clark is a sturdy and compact lead guard. His explosion was one of his best traits before tearing ligaments in his knee in June of 2021. Clark possessed a quick first step and was able to elevate and take contact when attacking the basket. Re-gaining the burst and the confidence in his knee is unknown. He came back in January, around six months after the injury. While the explosion was not there, during his handful of games at Montverde (FL) Academy, Clark showed a smooth-looking jump shot and some glimpses of vision and play creation via the pass. The talent is evident; the question mark will be the confidence in making plays off his knee.

Be sure to tune in to ESPNU at halftime of the 5:30 PM EST game tonight to see where Skyy Clark chooses.