NCAA Basketball Recruiting: 10 freshmen to outperform their ranking for 2018-19

Every season there are NCAA Basketball recruits who outperform their ranking and make meaningful contributions as freshmen. Who are some of the under-the-radar recruits who could exceed expectations?

Each year in NCAA Basketball there are multiple freshmen who outperform their recruiting ranking and exceed expectations. These players add unexpected immediate value to their team and drastically alter that team’s projected standing.

The most obvious example of this from last year is Zhaire Smith who was the 194th ranked 2017 prospect. Smith had an amazing freshman season and vaulted into the first round of the NBA Draft as a one-and-done, an unprecedented accomplishment for a sub-100 player. Texas Tech also reaped the rewards as they went from a projected bubble team in the preseason to a top ten and Elite Eight team by season’s end.

Smith was not alone in outperforming his ranking. The following players were all ranked lower than 75th in the 247 composite and made immediate impacts and this list is far from exhaustive:  Bruno Fernando, Mitch Ballock, Kellan Grady, Brad Davison, Kenny Wooten, Isaiah Livers, O’Shae Brissett, Herbert Jones, and Jose Alvarado. There were even impact guys ranked lower than 200 like McKinley Wright, Jahvon Blair, Teddy Allen, Jarrett Culver, Braxton Beverly, and Matt Haarms.

This article will identify ten players who could surprise and outperform their recruiting ranking. To qualify for the list, the player must be ranked lower than 75th in the 247 composite rankings. The players are listed in order based on their ranking and highlight videos were included if available.