Teams across the nation are reading scouting reports, contacting potential commits, and doing everything they can to gain an edge over their rivals. For them, it is necessary. You will need all the talent you can get when the conference title and March madness begin. You can never start recruiting too early, and that philosophy prevails for most coaches. Here are the teams that look the best-equipped for next year.
Amari Bailey, the second-best player according to 247Sports' ranking, will play for UCLA next year. Bailey will play with #18 Adem Bona and #42 Dylan Andrews. Adding a forward to this team will give UCLA a solid class.
UNC will see three four-star players play for its team next year. #33 Seth Trimble, #40 Jalen Washington, #82 Tyler Nickel, and three-star #142 Will Shaver will see action at Chapel Hill next year. A shooting guard or a power forward will help this class significantly.
Kentucky holds a small yet talented 2022 class, as its three commits are all rated five stars by 247Sports. Small forward Chris Livingston and combo guard Cason Wallace form the Wildcats’ top-ten recruits. #16 Skyy Clark, touted as one of this class’ best point guards, also signed for the Wildcats.
Only one player has signed for Ohio State. That is shocking, considering how the Buckeyes stand at seventh place. #61 Roddy Gayle Jr. signed with Ohio State this November. #41 Bruce Thornton, #50 Felix Okpara, and #101 Brice Sensabaugh will likely sign for Ohio State.
Four four-star recruits have signed with Michigan. All the players play different positions, giving the Wolverines a bit of depth. #36 Jett Howard, #38 Tarris Reed, #60 Dug McDaniel, and #103 Gregg McDaniel will take their talents to Ann Arbor next year.
USC’s five-star prospect, #11 Vince Iwuchukwu, will headline this dangerous squad. Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, CA) star Kijani Wright will join him. Wright is ranked number 37 in the nation. #65 Tre White and #178 Oziyah Sellers committed and will likely sign with Southern California.
Kansas does not have the top-ten prospects like the teams ahead of them in the recruiting ranks, but they have an elite corps that are all lethal. #21 MJ Rice, #28 Ernest Udeh Jr., #31 Gradey Dick, #49 Zuby Ejiofor are all headed for Kansas. The main problem for this team is its lack of guards. To complete the class, Kansas needs to find an available guard.
Third-place Alabama’s recruiting class revolves around Brandon Miller and #17 Jaden Bradley. The Crimson Tide also saw #61 Noah Clowney, #62 Rylan Griffen, and three-star JUCO prospect Nick Pringle sign for them.
Arkansas recruited most of its prospects from Arkansas. Nick Smith is a combo guard who is top-ten in the nation. Smith is joined by #26 Jordan Walsh, #54 Derrian Ford #88 Barry Dunning, and #90 Joseph Pinion to form the second-best recruiting class. Fun fact for Razorback fans: Smith is 247Sports’ second-best Arkansas recruit of all time. He only trails Al Jefferson.
Duke, as of this writing, has the best 2022 recruiting class according to 247Sports. With top-ten players like Dereck Lively II, Dariq Whitehead, and Kyle Filipowski, the Blue Devils look set to see success in ACC play next year. Along with their core three, recruiter Jon Scheyer landed #55 Jaden Schutt. #15 Mark Mitchell and #243 Christian Reeves committed and will likely sign with the Blue Devils.
