NCAA Basketball Recruiting: 7 early teams to watch for No. 1 class of 2026 forward Tyran Stokes
UCF Golden Knights
As stated in the article, UCF is surprisingly in the mix due to the relationship Stokes has with Mikey Williams, a former 5-star prospect who transferred from Memphis to the Knights this offseason. They do have a history of frontcourt players going to the NBA, as Taylor Hendricks was a lottery pick in the draft a couple of years ago.
Now in the Big 12, UCF needs as much talent as possible to be competitive. And Coach Johnny Dawkins has started to land some notable names, including 5-star center prospect, Moustapha Thiam, who reclassed to join the team for next season. The Knights might not have much of a winning history but they can have Stokes be the undisputed star of the team while having the chance to play alongside his friend.
UCLA Bruins
Louisville may be the old “hometown” option but UCLA is the “new” one for Stokes if he truly wants to stay in Los Angeles. USC may end up getting in the mix but they had a coaching change in the offseason so might just be slow to enter his recruitment.
Coach Mick Cronin has a good history of both winning and development, as do the Bruins as a historic NCAA Basketball program. They’ve been lacking starpower ever since Jamie Jaquez left and Stokes would give UCLA a big boost from both a talent and a PR standpoint.
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Unless he decides to reclassify, we’re definitely in the early stages of the recruitment for Tyran Stokes. But after seeing how he’s played in the past couple of months, look for any viable top program to see if they can get involved. This could be a game-changing commitment for whoever can land the 5-star target.