Arafan Diane, No. 1 ranked center, commits to Houston

Arafan Diane, the No. 1 ranked center in the 2026 class, has committed to Houston.

The 7-foot senior is originally from Guinea in West Africa but now attends Iowa United Prep (IA). He chose Kelvin Sampson and the Cougars over a final list of Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, and Virginia.

Diane, a four-star prospect, is ranked 11th nationally in Rivals’ Class of 2026 Player Rankings.

The Houston Cougars made a major statement last cycle, securing the No. 3 recruiting class in 2025 and reeling in commitments from Five-Star Plus+ PF Chris Cenac (No. 6 NATL), five-star SG Isiah Harwell (No. 13 NATL), and four-star PG Kingston Flemings (No. 17 NATL).

Diane Scouting Report

Rivals National Recruiting Analyst Jamie Shaw has evaluated Arafan Diane in multiple settings. He recently had this to say about him:

Based on the sheer size of Arafan Diane, you notice him immediately when he steps on the floor. The 7-foot-0 center has a hulking presence with good length.

He also has an interesting offensive game, scoring at each level throughout the camp, knocking down his only three attempt and hitting multiple mid range jumpers. Diane is a presence around the basket. He is comfortable getting over his left shoulder in the half court and has good footwork with the ball. He will need to continue getting stronger in his base and core and staying on top of his conditioning, but he created advantages in his area better than any big in this setting.

Diane is very loudly claiming his spot toward the top of his position list in the 2026 class. He is very offensively skilled, able to score consistently over both shoulders, make reads out of the post, and utilized balance and footwork when his initial move was cut off. A big who plays big is always intriguing, but one who can take space and create an advantage becomes unique.