Following an incredible season at USC, Desmond Claude is looking for a new place to call home this upcoming season. After averaging 15.8 pts, 3.5 rbs, 4.2 ast, and 0.8 stocks, many teams have reached out to him, but these six seem to be the main ones to look out for. Those teams include Tennessee, Oregon, Alabama, Gonzaga, SMU, and Washington. That said, here are my personal rankings fit-wise to be his new home next season.
6. SMU Mustangs
In my personal opinion, I just don't see him landing at SMU. The only major draws to the school would be having the role as the main guy on the team, and going to a weaker conference in the ACC, which could potentially raise his draft stock for next year. The main downside is that the ACC seems to be getting much stronger through this recruiting cycle, and with NIL being such a major role in the sport, I don't see SMU outbidding any of the other teams in the mix
5. Gonzaga Bulldogs
Gonzaga has a solid draw, mostly because it has an all-time coach in Mark Few, plus he would remain on the West Coast. The only major knock is that their transfer class is already pretty heavy with guard commits, not leaving much room for Claude. Obviously, Claude would fit in just fine and be a very key contributor, but his touches might not be what he's looking for.
4. Alabama Crimson Tide
I've got Alabama at four, mainly because Claude does not fit in very well with Nate Oats' fast-paced, high-volume shooting system. Claude is incredible at finishing at the rim, shooting over 50 percent, but he tends to struggle from the three-point line with a career average of 27.1 percent from three, which is where Nate Oats runs teams like to do a lot of damage, as we saw in their matchup with BYU this last postseason. With that being said, Nate Oats is an incredible recruiter, and they have the money to give out, so if Claude is to land here, it wouldn't be the most surprising thing since Alabama would likely be his highest offer money-wise.
3. Washington Huskies
Going to Washington would not be a bad choice. They have a great coach who would remain on the West Coast and be the number one option on this team. Claude would be joining a relatively stacked transfer portal class that the Huskies have already put together. He would also be joining one of his USC teammates, Wesley Yates, and other past Big 10 players. There is definitely a lot of draw towards making a good chunk of money and being the number one guy.
2. Oregon Ducks
Oregon seems to be a good option for him as they only have one guard commit as of the writing of this article. Oregon is going to rely very heavily on returners and progression next season, and picking up a player like Desmond Claude could be just what they are looking for, potentially giving them reliability, rim running, and good facilitating. With the news of Jackson Shelstad, Nate Bittle, and Kwame Evans Jr. returning, if they were to pick up Claude, that would be one of the strongest starting lineups in the country.
1. Tennessee Vols
Tennessee just seems to be an excellent fit for him. In the last few years, Rick Barnes has done a fantastic job of raising draft stock for guards. Claude would also be joining former Maryland guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie, which would make for an amazing 1-2 punch, as Gillespie excels from range while Claude looks to score more inside the 3-point line. Money, I would assume Tennessee would have enough to throw his way as they are not returning any of their star players from last year, and fit-wise, the only key guard they are returning is Bishop Boswell. With a solid recruiting class highlighted by 5-star Nate Ament, this feels like a perfect team for him to succeed with.