NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Analyzing top 6 teams for 5-star forward Jarace Walker

LSU Tigers

Head coach Will Wade has always been able to land at least one five-star prospect in each recruiting class, including incoming freshman center Efton Reid. Whether he’s around for one year or not won’t affect Walker but Cincy incoming transfer Tari Eason could. If he becomes an effective starter, that would affect Walker’s potential minutes as a freshman and he may not even start. It’s an unlikelihood but other options don’t even pose that kind of question.

Maryland Terrapins

Mark Turgeon and the Terrapins have a good history with five-star big men, including NBA players, Bruno Fernando and Jalen Smith. The current frontcourt for this team features double-digit returning forward Donta Scott, along with incoming center from Georgetown, Qudus Wahab. With Eric Ayala set to leave after next season, there will be a need for offensive production on the roster a year from now. But unless Scott departs after next year, it’ll be a rough fit to have him, Wahab, and Walker on the court together.

Texas Longhorns

The Longhorns have an entire new frontcourt filled with transfers this offseason, led by center Tre Mitchell, and forwards, Dylan Disu, Christian Bishop, and Timmy Allen. The issue here is that all of them could potentially come back for another year and it’s hard to envision Walker getting minutes of Disu if his production matches what he did at Vanderbilt this upcoming season. He could join five-star guard commit Arterio Morris in the 2022 class but under new head coach Chris Beard, who knows what this roster will look like a year from now and whether it’s good for Walker individually or not.

Of the six options (assuming he doesn’t go G League) in consideration for Jarace Walker, I believe that Alabama and Houston have the fewest potential drawbacks in terms of roster construction. LSU should never be counted out but if I had to bet, I think the Crimson Tide continues to roll with another five-star commitment.