NCAA Basketball: Analyzing 10 finalists for five-star guard Ja’Kobe Walter

SMU Mustangs

Whether star guard Kendric Davis comes back for another year or not, the multiple transfers the Mustangs have gives them what will be at least six seniors on next season’s roster. And if things don’t go well, head coach Tim Jankovich could be on the hot seat. And either way, the team will have to rebuild next offseason anyways after losing so much talent.

That presents an opportunity for Walter to be able to be the top offensive option by a wide margin and even be the top overall player in the AAC. But will playing for a program in a weaker league and with not as much prestige be enough for the five-star recruit with a whole bunch of better options on paper?

Texas Longhorns

New head coach Chris Beard has been swinging for the fences as soon as he got the Longhorns gig and he’s had plenty of success. He landed former five-star point guard from Kentucky Devin Askew, along with transfers Timmy Allen, Christian Bishop, and Dylan Disu. Of that group, Allen is the only threat to Mitchell in terms of position and playing time but he’s very likely to be gone after next year.

With guards Courtney Ramey and Andrew Jones also gone a year from now, the shooting guard position is wide open for Walter to come in and start immediately. And one can expect Texas to add even more talent in the next 12 months to stay as a national contender. The question here will be whether or not Walter trusts the new coaching staff to succeed in Austin and create a roster that he’ll benefit from.