NCAA Basketball: Top 25 impact freshmen classes for 2023-24 season

22. Pittsburgh Panthers

Getting commitments in the Jeff Capel era hasn’t been the problem, as players such as Judah Mintz, Jalen Hood-Schifino, and Dior Johnson have been set to play. However, getting them onto the campus and eventually playing for them is the issue. But after last season’s NCAA Tournament appearance, the team was able to keep the 2023 class together and even added a late commit.

That player was Papa Kante, a four-star and top-100 center prospect that originally picked Michigan over the Panthers in his original recruitment. However, admissions issues caused him to be a free agent, with Pittsburgh benefitting. He’s likely not playing much as a freshman as the third center on the roster but he’s a long-term project once Federiko Federiko moves on.

The two most like to play are Jaland Lowe and Carlton Carrington, a pair of top-100 guards. Lowe was the Texas High School Player of the Year this past season and is a scoring point guard. Carrington is a 6’5 shooting guard out of the DMV area that’ll be competing with Rhode Island transfer Ishmael Leggett for minutes at the two-spot.

Add three-star small forward Marlon Barnes to the class and it’s a well-rounded group of newcomers, giving the team a top-20 caliber class overall. And there’s a good chance that two of these guys could be starters in the year after for the program.