For those paying attention to the college basketball class of 2027 recruiting class, it’s heavy on ball-handlers. After a couple of reclassification moves, there are currently six players ranked in the top-10, according to 247sports, who can be classified as a ball-handler or strictly a point guard.
One of them in Cade Daughtry, a 6’0 point guard out of the state of Florida. Coming into July, he already was a priority prospect, ranked in the top-10 in most services and getting plenty of high-major offers. However, his play in the last few weeks has made Daughtry easily the biggest name in the high school ranks.
Cayden Daughtry capped off a historic Peach Jam run with a championship 🏆
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) July 19, 2026
33 PTS⁰9 REB⁰6 AST⁰1 BLK⁰9-16 FG⁰3-5 3PT⁰12-13 FT pic.twitter.com/v6xBqyAYqD
He was part of the FIBA U17 Gold Medal Team for USA, and utterly dominated the AAU Circuits, winning the Peach Jam title on Sunday and the first-ever EYBL MVP award, averaging over 30 ppg. On Sunday, the rising high school senior led the Florida Rebels to a 71-60 win in the Peach Jam title game, producing a game-high 33 points, nine rebounds, and six assists, shooting 9/16 from the field and 12/13 from the free throw line.
Daughtry was arguably the star of each day in the past week, putting up historical performances on the offensive end. He showed he’s an elite three-level scorer on the court and outstanding playmaker for himself and others. A good case can be made that if he wasn’t just 6’0, Daughtry would easily be the No. 1-ranked player in the class.
CAYDEN DAUGHTRY LEFT IT ALL ON THE FLOOR!
— NBA Future Starts Now (@nbafuturenow) July 19, 2026
33 PTS (game-high) | 9 REB | 6 AST | 1 BLK | 3 3PM
Florida Rebels take home the 2026 @NikeEYB Peach Jam Championship 🏆🍑 pic.twitter.com/lFaB1eeSz4
That honor currently goes to Beckham Black, another quality ball-handler in the class. He also had a great Peach Jam himself but not to the level as Daughtry. He had an incredible month of July and should move up the rankings as easily a top-5 overall prospect.
But while he may not be No. 1 in the next set of recruiting rankings, Daughtry has now become the face of the class. Which means his own individual recruiting updates in the coming weeks will get even more attention, with the blue bloods likely to get involved even more.
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