Two recruiting analysts pick Washington for Jaden McDaniels

The unofficial expected decision date came and went with no announcement for 2019 five-star forward Jaden McDaniels yesterday. While we still don’t have an update on the when, we are now seeing a trend of picks on his Crystal Ball on 247 Sports.

This afternoon, recruiting analysts Andrew Slater and Chad Lykins submitted back-to-back predictions in favor of the Washington Huskies.

 

While Slater and Lykins, both Duke recruiting insiders, haven’t maintained elite track records similar to that of Evan Daniels or Josh Gershon (both plus-90% prediction rates) on the Crystal Ball, they are still known for being solid sources in the world of high school basketball recruiting.

Despite two consecutive picks, Kentucky still holds the overall lead with 46% of picks, followed by Washington at 23%, undecided at 23%, and San Diego State at 8%.

Prior to the Washington picks, three consecutive “undecided” predictions came in from Daniels, Gershon, and Arizona insider Jason Scheer over the span of 24 hours. This comes after the Wildcats maintained an overwhelming lead on the recruiting service, including picks from Daniels, Gershon, Slater, and Jerry Meyer, among others.

Daniels also went on his podcast, The Sidelines with Evan Daniels, and said that while it’s definitely close, he’d likely lean Washington ever-so-slightly right now.

“This time last week, I thought for certain that he was going to Kentucky. I fully believe that that was what he was going to do.” he said. “I do think things have changed. When you’re dealing with 17 and 18-year old kids, minds change. His recruitment wasn’t done. Kentucky had met with him at Nike Hoop Summit, and then Washington went back and met with him, he’s from Washington. I think they’re very much a player in this, Washington. It’s a battle between Washington and Kentucky. As of today – Thursday – I lean toward Washington slightly, but I would not be surprised either way.”

While the momentum is seemingly shifting back in Washington’s favor, that’s not stopping some future Kentucky Wildcats from doing their part in the home stretch of this recruitment.

Both Tyrese Maxey and Dontaie Allen made their pitches to the five-star forwards on Instagram this morning:

Last night, I wrote what hoped to be a last-minute recruiting update on McDaniels based on some of the conversations I had with folks throughout the last two days. To catch up on that, you can read it here.

I’m so ready for this recruitment to be over.