NCAA Basketball: Way-too-early takeaways from 2021 recruiting classes
With so much having already happened, what can be taken away from the NCAA Basketball recruiting news in the 2021 classes?
In the past week, the Division I council was able to come together with some good news and bad news for NCAA Basketball teams and head coaches. The good news is that the season has a confirmed start date of November 25th, with plenty of preparations for “bubbles” to ensure that games happen this winter.
The bad news, which was much less reported, is that official visits for prospects aren’t allowed until January 1st. That means high school, JUCO, and international players aren’t able to meet with head coaches and potential future teammates during this time. So more “zoom” meetings will continue, as young men and women look for other ways to help make the biggest decisions of their lives.
We’ve seen so far what that has looked like with the prospects in the 2021 recruiting class. With no visits being scheduled in the Fall, recruits aren’t waiting to make a decision. Already, over 100 players have made verbal commitments, including 11 of the 25 players ranked as “five-star” prospects, according to 247sportsComposite.
A domino effect has occurred, with more and more players filling up available space on programs’ rosters. By the time November 25th comes, many more recruits will have chosen college homes. Some teams have already gotten off to great starts, while others are in catch-up mode.
Considering the number of storylines that have already occurred, I wanted to take a closer look at what has happened so far. For the most part, it’ll be a positive outlook, since those who are currently struggling still has plenty of time to build a quality recruiting class.