Recruiting intel on top uncommitted 2022 prospects

Just as we thought the 2022 class was coming to a close, it suddenly became much more interesting again. In the last two weeks, we’ve seen five firings of head coaches that resulted in one (or more) decommitments. Four of which were in the SEC: LSU’s Will Wade, Mississippi State’s Ben Howland, South Carolina’s Frank Martin, and Missouri’s Cuonzo Martin.

The one exception here is Mike White, who left Florida for the available head coaching gig at Georgia after Tom Crean was fired.

The single head coaching change outside the SEC was the firing of Xavier’s Travis Steele.

Across the board, we’ve seen a total of 11 decommitments in the month of March, with more likely to come.

Two of the decommitments were in the 2023 class — Robert Dillingham (NC State) and Marvel Allen (LSU). For the sake of this article, the focus will only be on the class of 2022.

On3’s National Recruiting Analyst Jamie Shaw and I take a look at the top-50 uncommitted 2022 prospects, whether they’re a result of decommitment or not, and discuss where things stand with their recruitment.

The below list is in order of the best available prospects in the On3 Consensus.

5-star PF Julian Phillips

Branson (Mo.) Link Academy
On3 Consensus: No. 16
Previously committed to LSU

Shaw – Southern Cal, Florida State, and Tennessee were all involved the first go around, and Florida State and Tennessee legitimately thought they were getting Julian Phillips until the 11th hour. Phillips will be waiting until after the McDonald’s game and GEICOs to turn his focus on recruiting. Florida State makes sense still with Steve Smith and his prowess around South Carolina, they were the presumed leader for a majority of the recruitment. Southern Cal was the sleeper team the first go around. Do not sleep on Auburn making a move and New South Carolina head coach Lamont Paris will certainly shoot his shot as well. For right now, I will say the Auburn push is interesting, and I may give them a slight edge for right now. Florida State and Southern Cal will be in the mix here, but things could change, and another team or two jumps in.

Tipton – It’s hard to put a finger on where Phillips could be headed now that he’s decommitted from LSU. He originally chose the Tigers over Florida State, Tennessee, and USC. Each of the three programs has reached out since he’s reopened, and there is a prior relationship there which could help their case. However, Gonzaga, Auburn, Villanova, and UCLA have contacted him as well. This recruitment was very quiet the first time around, with each of his finalists having no idea where he was going. My gut tells me Florida State and Auburn stand the best chance here, however, his commitment to LSU surprised me. 

5-star PF Yohan Traore

Glendale (Ariz.) Dream City Christian
On3 Consensus: No. 17
Previously committed to LSU

Shaw – LSU, and Auburn were the final two the first go around for Yohan Traore. Auburn stayed in there and they did a good job selling Jabari Smith’s season to Traore. I have set my RPM prediction for Auburn with 95-percent confidence.

Tipton – Traore’s decommitment from LSU following the firing of Will Wade surprised no one. Prior to picking the Tigers, Auburn was viewed as the ‘runner-up’ for the French big man. That is still likely the case now. With LSU no longer an option, Auburn is the perfect fit. There is a real need for a versatile big man, with Jabari Smith and Walker Kessler’s likely headed to the NBA. Traore is also considering Gonzaga, Texas Tech, and Michigan here but I’d be surprised if Bruce Pearl doesn’t win this one.

5-star CG Anthony Black

Duncanville (Texas) High
On3 Consensus: No. 19

Shaw – Gonzaga was thought to be the favorite at the end of the summer for Anthony Black. Oklahoma State, and more recently Arkansas made runs at Black, but at the end of the day Gonzaga will hold on here. Black cites the winning tradition and the ability to play early with the ball in his hands as draws. The atmosphere at a top-level program with no football is pretty special as well. I set my RPM prediction at 95-percent for Gonzaga. 

Tipton – What a long and drawn out this recruitment has been. The two other five stars on this list have decommitted following a coaching change, but not Black. He’s struggled to make up his mind. On the 28th of March, Black will decide between his five finalists – Gonzaga, Arkansas, Oklahoma State, TCU, and the G-League. I’m pretty sure Black was leaning towards each of these options at some point or another. However, as we enter the final stretch, this is ultimately a battle between Gonzaga and Arkansas. While the G-League is on his list, Black won’t be selecting them. The Razorbacks made a last-second push, getting him on an unofficial last month, but the Zags are viewed as the favorite here. 

4-star PF Malik Reneau

Montverde (Fla.) Academy
On3 Consensus: No. 29
Previously committed to Florida

Shaw – So Miami, Florida State, and Memphis were all options the first go around for Malik Reneau. One would think they would still be involved, along with Georgia who recently hired former Florida head coach Mike White and Reneau’s recruiter of record Erik Pastrana. There is something about Miami that stands out just by looking at it. We will see the push Georgia makes and Memphis has shown they can offer big NIL packages. He has been very quiet since de-committing, so more schools could/should pop up on the radar. Pencil in Miami for me.

Tipton – Reneau has opted to remain silent on his recruitment until after Geico Nationals, but here’s what we know. The Florida native chose the Gators over a final group of Memphis, Miami, and Florida State. Out of the three, I’d watch the two in-state programs. Assistant coach Erik Pastrana played a huge role in landing Reneau’s commitment at Florida. Now that he’s followed Mike White to Georgia, I’m sure they will attempt to do the same once again. At the end of the day, Reneau will have no shortage of options, and plenty more schools will be involved than just the ones mentioned here. 

4-star CG Skyy Clark

Montverde (Fla.) Academy
On3 Consensus: No. 32
Previously committed to Kentucky

Shaw – There is a lot of smoke around Illinois for this one, a shift that came almost immediately after Skyy Clark and Kentucky parted ways. On3’s Joe Tipton reported that Clark will not be going the pro route so can take Overtime and G-League out of the equation. Washington and Louisville are sure to look to make a big run here, but for now, Illinois seems to be the choice. I am planning a Ranking the Contenders article soon for Clark. 

Tipton – Skyy Clark shocked the recruiting world when he decommitted from Kentucky earlier this month. Since backing off his pledge to the Wildcats, he’s heard from a host of programs like Gonzaga, Illinois, Washington, Arizona State, and others. Illinois is getting the most buzz currently, but this recruitment isn’t over yet. Pro Insight’s Andrew Slater reported Tuesday that Washington’s full staff was in to see Clark, a clear sign that the Huskies are making him a priority. Arizona State’s Joel Justus was Clark’s head recruiter while at Kentucky, however, I’m not sure about their chances. Lastly, Kenny Payne, a former long-time UK assistant, has a prior relationship with Clark and his family so keep an eye on the Cards now that he’s the head man at Louisville. 

4-star SF Tyrell Ward

Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha Catholic
On3 Consensus: No. 35
Previously committed to Xavier

Shaw – Virginia Tech hired Mike Jones, who was Tyrell Ward’s head coach at Hyattsville (MD) Dematha Catholic. The familiarity there makes a lot of sense, and he would join former DeMatha teammate Rodney Rice and friend Darren Buchanan. Can Kevin Willard get Maryland involved? Can Kenny Payne jump in with Louisville or new Xavier head coach Sean Miller make a move? Maybe, but Virginia Tech makes a lot of sense. 

Tipton – The one school that stands out immediately with Ward is Virginia Tech. Mike Jones, Ward’s former high school coach, is now the associate head coach for the Hokies. Schools close to home like Maryland and Georgetown will likely take a stab at him. Louisville has also contacted Ward, and we all know Kenny Payne is a proven recruiter. 

4-star PF Eric Dailey

Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy
On3 Consensus: No. 39

Shaw – This one has been quiet for its entirety. I will go out on a limb here with Eric Dailey and say he will either go a pro route or reclassify. Maybe I am off here, but something feels like he may not be in college next season. 

Tipton – If an award was handed out for “quietest recruitment”, Dailey would win it in a landslide. A couple of months ago, he told On3 that Michigan, Texas A&M, Georgia, Florida, and USC were involved. More on that here. Here’s the kicker though – he hasn’t taken a single college visit… It’s almost April, folks. The lack of visits suggests the pro route, however, an ultimate decision on that topic isn’t public. Don’t be surprised to see Dailey reclassify to 2023 either. 

4-star CG Judah Mintz

Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill Academy
On3 Consensus: No. 50

Shaw – Judah Mintz took four official visits since de-committing from Pittsburgh. NC State, Syracuse, DePaul, and Wake Forest each were able to get Mintz on their campus. I set my RPM prediction for DePaul and have Mintz joining On3 Consensus top-50 guard Zion Cruz in Chicago. 

Tipton – Mintz, a former Pitt commit, backed off his pledge to the Panthers in November. He’s now considering four schools – Wake Forest, NC State, Syracuse, and DePaul. Each program has hosted him for an official visit. DePaul is currently getting the most buzz, with a decision expected from Mintz around the time of Geico Nationals.

Additional notes

• Bryce Lindsay was only committed to South Carolina for a month and a half before they fired the Gamecocks’ head coach, Frank Martin. The 2022 point guard decommitted from the program roughly 48 hours after the news of Martin, and has since heard from the following programs: Florida, Arizona State, West Virginia, Virginia, and Boston College.
• When Riley Kugel committed to Mississippi State, he was ranked outside the top 200. Flash forward to today, and he’s ranked as the 67th best prospect in the class according to the On3 Consensus. Due to the firing of Ben Howland, Kugel reopened his recruitment and you can expect plenty of high majors to be involved.
• LSU by far got hit the hardest after losing Will Wade. The first to decommit from the program was four-star wing Devin Ree. His recruitment has been quiet so far, but he’s one to keep an eye on.
• Aidan Shaw was one of the first of these string of decommitments after Cuonzo Martin was fired from Missouri. Before picking the Tigers, Shaw considered Kansas, Oklahoma State, Iowa, and Maryland.