Tag: 2022 recruiting class

Matt McMahon is rebuilding LSU basketball at lightning speed

McMahon has turned the program around in a very short amount of time.

Two months ago, LSU basketball was in shambles. Every scholarship player had entered the transfer portal, and the rebuild ahead looked as messy as any in recent memory.

There was speculation that some big names wouldn’t even accept the job because of the position the program was in. Not only had every player left, but NCAA sanctions were looming (and they still are).

LSU is a big-time athletics program, but in basketball, it’s far from a blue blood. The program doesn’t recruit itself like Duke or Kentucky does.

When [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] took the job, he was staring down the impossible. Nobody expected much out of him for his first year or two on the job — hence the seven-year contract given to him providing security and breathing room.

The roster McMahon was going to be working with during his first season was supposed to be a collection of mid-major transfers, three-star recruits, and maybe a couple of guys that followed him from Murray State. Whatever that expectation was, McMahon has far exceeded it.

McMahon was able to bring three of his players from Murray State in [autotag]Justice Hill[/autotag], [autotag]KJ Williams[/autotag], and [autotag]Trae Hannibal[/autotag].

That trio makes up three of the top four scorers from a Murray State team that went 31-3. Williams led the team in scoring with 18 points/game on his way to winning conference player of the year.

Hill averaged 13.4 points and 5.1 assists per contest as a sophomore and Hannibal proved to be a solid piece as well with 9.2 points and 5.1 rebounds on average.

Murray State didn’t face top competition, but a 31-3 record is a 31-3 record no matter the schedule, and McMahon brought the core with him.

Then there are the guys McMahon has gotten out of high school, which might be his most impressive feat considering how late in the game it is for the 2022 recruiting class. So far, the Tigers have added forwards [autotag]Tyrell Ward[/autotag] and [autotag]Jalen Reed[/autotag].

Ward is a four-star on average, but On3 has him slated as a five-star. Regardless, he’s a top recruit and there were a lot of people who didn’t think LSU would be landing players of Ward’s caliber again for a few years.

Reed was another big get, ranking as one of the 10 best power forwards in his class.

All of this was cemented last week when [autotag]Adam Miller[/autotag] announced he’d be returning to LSU. Miller transferred from Illinois prior to last season but tore his ACL before the year even started. When Miller went down, LSU’s offense took a large hit that was evident throughout the year.

If he was healthy last season, it’s likely that LSU doesn’t go home in the first round. That team was one scorer away from being dangerous. With Miller back in the fold, the talented freshman, and the guys from Murray State, McMahon is now working with a competent roster.

Along with Miller, McMahon also managed to get [autotag]Mwani Wilkinson[/autotag] and [autotag]Justice Williams[/autotag] back from the portal, two players who are likely to contribute next season. Wilkinson, despite having a limited role, was a starter last year.

McMahon has proven he can get the most out of his team, and if he gets the most out of this one, is it crazy to see LSU as an eight or nine seed? Of course, they’d have to avoid a postseason ban, but crazier things have happened in this sport.

McMahon took over a program in dire straits and has already laid a foundation. If this track continues, it’s not hard to see a scenario where he keeps LSU basketball relevant at a time when it looked like that relevancy was fading.

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Auburn loses out on five-star recruit to in-conference school

Bruce Pearl won’t be adding another five-star to his squad just yet.

Any hopes of the Tigers adding another five-star to its recruiting class will have to wait.

Five-star small forward Julian Phillips, who was seemingly warm on Auburn in recent weeks before his commitment on Thursday, has decided to play for the in-conference Tennessee Volunteers. Phillips is the Volunteers’ only hard commit of Tennessee’s class thus far.

Philips, like new Auburn commit Yohan Traore, was slated to go to LSU before head coach Will Wade’s departure led to him de-committing. Traore chose Auburn as his destination, but Philips decided not to follow his teammate and to head to Knoxville, Tennessee to play for the Volunteers instead.

Philips would have gone to an SEC champion either way — Auburn clinched the regular-season SEC title last year, but the Volunteers were the winners of 2022’s SEC tournament. The Tigers played Tennessee once last year for the Big 12/SEC Challenge, where they lost 67-62 in Knoxville.

The addition of Phillips could make Tennessee a stronger force to be reckoned with in the SEC, a probability that Bruce Pearl and his squad are likely not too pleased with. Nevertheless, Auburn’s 2022 recruiting class is still currently No. 16 on 247Sports’ recruiting class rankings, and the Tigers look to repeat their success from last year with Traore and new transfer [autotag]Johni Broome[/autotag].

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Where Auburn lands in latest 2022 basketball recruiting rankings

Tigers check-in among the top 20 and could climb higher before the season starts.

The Auburn men’s basketball team and head coach Bruce Pearl have been busy when it comes to the recruiting trail. The staff is tasked with replacing their frontcourt duo of Jabari Smith and Walker Kessler. Both are expected to be first-round picks in the upcoming NBA draft.

Thus far the Tigers have added [autotag]Yohan Traore[/autotag], [autotag]Chance Westry[/autotag], and [autotag]Tre Donaldson[/autotag]. Pearl could be adding a fourth member to his 2022 haul on Thursday with former LSU commit, Julian Phillips.

He was a member of the LSU Tigers‘ 2022 class along with Traore prior to the firing of Will Wade. Both players decommitted from the program soon after. The Auburn head coach could pick up both if Phillips decides to make the Plains his home in the 2022-23 basketball season.

As we await the decision, 247Sports recently released their analysis on the 2022 recruiting class with Auburn checking in at No. 16 overall.

Landon Bost/Naples Daily News/USA TODAY Network-Florida / USA TODAY NETWORK

What 247Sports Says…

Since the arrival of Bruce Pearl, basketball fever has taken over at Auburn and the Tigers continue to reload with talent. There’s not a potential No. 1 NBA Draft pick in this group like Jabari Smith, but there is some impactful talent.

When Will Wade’s time at LSU ended abruptly, Traore became available and his size, scoring touch and rebounding made him a five-star prospect. Well-traveled during his high school career, Westry is a top 40 wing and utility player who can help on both sides of the ball thanks to his versatility. Also an SEC-level football recruit, Donaldson is a tough and physical four-star floor general. This class has a chance to get much better on Thursday and landing five-star small forward Julian Phillips would give them a major boost in the team rankings.

Other SEC schools to make the list:

Among the remainder of the top 20, future SEC opponent the Texas Longhorns checked in at No. 5 overall. Plenty of competition is on the way to the SEC and should make for an exciting brand of basketball in the conference for years to come.

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Where Oklahoma falls in transfer portal rankings following deadline

The Sooners and new head coach Brent Venables finished with a top-five transfer class in 2022.

The transfer portal has been a gamechanger for teams and coaches across the college football landscape. Really for all sports but the primary focus is football, as we review the teams who were able to cash in.

The transfer portal can work both ways. The Oklahoma Sooners are a prime example of that. After watching both Spencer Rattler (South Carolina) and Caleb Williams (USC) exit stage left, they needed to address multiple spots including at quarterback.

New head coach Brent Venables and offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby were able to convince former UCF southpaw quarterback Dillon Gabriel to change directions and come to Norman, instead of playing for Chip Kelly at UCLA. The Sooners added other new members such as former UCLA offensive linemen McKade Mettauer and Hawaii edge rusher Jonah La’ulu.

The NCAA set a deadline of May 1 for transfers to be eligible to play in the 2022 season without requiring a waiver. With the deadline now in the rearview mirror, we break down the top 10 transfer teams according to 247Sports composite transfer rankings.

2022 Basketball Prospect: Julian Philips

Here’s a look at a five-star basketball prospect that could be leaning toward Auburn:

Auburn could potentially claim another of Will Wade’s lost souls in this 2022 recruiting class.

Head coach Bruce Pearl already secured the services of LSU decommit Yohan Traore at the end of March, and On3 Recruiting seems to think that he may be about to add another. Small forward Julian Philips is another player who was previously committed to LSU before reversing the decision after Will Wade’s departure, and On3’s RPM has Philips favoring Auburn at 46 percent. On top of that, 247Sports has Auburn as the only school that Philips is “warm” on according to their projection.

Philips, a five-star, is universally considered the best player from his home state of Missouri by any recruiting website that ranks it. Should he choose to commit to the Tigers, he would join his former teammate-to-be at LSU in Traore and become the second five-star player that Bruce Pearl has netted this recruiting cycle — just what he’ll be needing to fill the void left by the departures of Jabari Smith and Walker Kessler.

Here’s everything you need to know about the potential addition to Bruce Pearl’s team on the Plains:

Julian Philips’ Recruiting Profile

Film

Crystal Ball

No Crystal Ball submitted. On3’s RPM has Philips headed to Auburn at 46 percent.

Where Auburn recruits stack in latest On3 basketball recruit ranking

The Plains are well represented on this list of top basketball recruits.

On3 has released its final ranking for 2022’s basketball recruits, and the Auburn Tigers are well represented.

The list ranks the top 150 basketball recruits in the nation, and three of those recruits are currently committed to come to the Plains next year. Head coach [autotag]Bruce Pearl[/autotag] will certainly enjoy the added firepower after the departures of Jabari Smith and Walker Kessler to the NBA.

The highest-ranked recruit is five-star [autotag]Yohan Traore[/autotag], who slots in at No. 12 on the list. Traore was originally committed to play for the LSU Tigers, but he reopened his commitment after the departure of head coach Will Wade. Traore chose Auburn, and he’ll be joined by two other players on this list — [autotag]Chance Westry[/autotag] and [autotag]Tre Donaldson[/autotag].

Westry is No. 33 on the list. The combo guard from Pennsylvania committed to Auburn on Nov. 10 of last year, and the four-star will form what the Tigers hope to be a lethal partnership with the likes of Traore and Donaldson — he’s ranked the second-best player in the state by On3. Donaldson himself clocks in a 120, and the point guard from Tallahassee was also a four-star recruit as a safety (although Pearl confirmed he will only play basketball as a freshman).

Finally, there is a recruit to watch on the list that could be favoring Auburn. The 14th-ranked recruit on the list, Julian Philips, is currently projected to Auburn via On3’s RPM at 46 percent. The five-star small forward out of South Carolina would complete a phenomenal recruiting class from Bruce Pearl, so he’s certainly a name to watch as next season approaches.

Notable visitors, signees on campus for Texas’ spring game

Another big weekend on the Forty Acres.

Texas will have several visitors and signees in attendance for their annual Orange-White game on April 23. Continue reading “Notable visitors, signees on campus for Texas’ spring game”

Running back recruit Gi’Bran Payne commits to Notre Dame

Ladies and gentlemen, we got him.

For the past month-and-a-half, our Michael Chen has been keeping tabs on Gi’Bran Payne, a running back recruit based in Cincinnati. Earlier this week, Payne set Good Friday as the day he would announce his decision. True to his word, he did just that, and it’s good news for Irish fans:

Notre Dame’s gain is a loss for Indiana, with which Payne previously had signed a letter of intent before asking for and being granted his release. Not so coincidental is that Marcus Freeman hired Hoosiers Deland McCullough to the same position after losing Lance Taylor to Louisville.

As for whether the Irish needed another running back in their 2022 recruiting class, Irish beat writer Pete Sampson of The Athletic offered this:

“With Payne on board, Notre Dame should have five scholarship running backs on the roster this fall with Chris Tyree, Logan Diggs, Audric Estime and Jadarian Price. A year from now, that number could grow to seven after adding Class of 2023 commitment and top target Jayden Limar, who plans to visit for the Blue-Gold Game next weekend.

Would Notre Dame really carry seven scholarship running backs at one time? Probably not, which might be a tell of future roster turnover. There’s nothing wrong with letting a group of four-star prospects fight it out for carries, then wishing those at the bottom of the depth chart well if they’re looking for a bigger opportunity.”

Hey, if running back becomes as powerful a position for Notre Dame as tight end, there’s nothing wrong with that.

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Texas freshman DB Jaylon Guilbeau suspended from team

Not the news Texas fans would like to hear to start the day.

While Texas has seemingly been flooded with good news recently, Tuesday was a different story. Continue reading “Texas freshman DB Jaylon Guilbeau suspended from team”

Leddeus Overton gives Aggies yet another 2022 five-star commitment

A&M adds yet another five-star defensive lineman to the 2022 record-breaking class.

Jimbo Fisher’s 2022 recruiting class was already considered the best college football recruiting class ever, and just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, Alpharetta (GA) Milton’s five-star defensive lineman Lebbeus “LT” Overton, had different ideas.

After reclassifying from the 2023 to 2022 class, Overton had long been strongly tied to Texas A&M, but there were late murmurs that Oregon’s late overtures could be successful in drawing him away from the Aggies.

Overton had narrowed down his options to A&M, Oregon, and his hometown Georgia Bulldogs, and finally announced his decision to become an Aggie on Friday afternoon.

In Overton, the Aggies defense gains a versatile 6-4 265 pound playmaker for DJ Durkin’s defensive front, and combined with the other high-level recruits who have joined the Aggies program who play along the line of scrimmage, helps put A&M in a position to compete with college football’s elite like Georgia and Alabama in the trenches.

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