INTEL: Where do the top prospects stand heading into the resumed recruiting period?

By ADAM ZAGORIA, SAM LANCE & CHARLIE PARENT

The August dead period is over, and we are now entering a “quiet” period for college basketball recruiting. Coaches are now only allowed to recruit players face-to-face on their own campuses, and no off-campus recruiting in-person is allowed to take place until Sept. 4.

With that, here’s what you need to know on all of the top class of 2025 prospects heading into this fall. Nearly every uncommitted player has narrowed down their schools list and will take official visits before nearing a decision. ZAGSBLOG is here to break it all down:

A.J. Dybantsa

• Schools involved: Top seven of Alabama, Auburn, Baylor, BYU, Kansas, Kansas State and North Carolina.

• Official visits set: Kansas State (Aug. 30-Sept. 1), Kansas (Sept. 6-8), North Carolina (Sept. 20-22), Alabama (Sept. 27-29), Baylor (Oct. 4-6) and BYU (Oct. 11-13).

• Other visits taken: Auburn official in March, BYU unofficial in June.

Dybantsa’s recruitment may be the most up in the air for a top prospect in recent memory. It’s really hard to tell which way this one is leaning. Alabama has the best relationship-in with assistant coach Preston Murphy being Dybantsa’s former AAU coach with Expressions Elite. Dybantsa will also visit campus when the Crimson Tide hosts Georgia in football, so he will likely see quite the college atmosphere. Of course, BYU is also in great position, receiving an unofficial visit and getting Dybantsa’s last official. With that being said, ZAGSBLOG could see Dybantsa picking any of his finalists. The official visits and how those go will be important to monitor. This recruitment is far from over before a decision in February.

Cameron Boozer

• Schools involved: Arkansas, Duke, Florida, Miami, Michigan and North Carolina.

• Official visits set: None.

• Other visits taken:  Duke, Florida, Miami and Kentucky. All last year.

At Peach Jam, Boozer said the schools he previously named to ZAGSBLOG are the same schools still in the mix. It sounds like Boozer will make a decision from the schools listed above. Miami and Florida are the programs close to home and are in a good spot, but it’s hard to ignore Duke in this scenario. That’s where Boozer’s father, five-time NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer, played his college ball. Boozer has previously said he plans to sign early.

Darryn Peterson

• Schools involved: Top six of Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, Ohio State, USC and Washington.

• Official visits set: Ohio State (Aug. 30), Kansas State (Sept. 27-29).

• Other visits taken: Kansas in late June, USC in early August, Kentucky last season for Big Blue Madness.

With a high school NIL deal inked with Adidas, Peterson is perceived by many to be a Kansas lock and the Jayhawks are certainly in great position to land it’s highest-rated recruit since Josh Jackson in 2016. Peterson also recently transferred from Napa (CA) Prolific Prep, an Adidas sponsored high school program. Ohio State, USC and Kansas State are also schools to watch, as they have received official visits from 2025’s No. 3 prospect. Peterson plans to commit before the high school season.

Koa Peat

• Schools involved: Top 10 of Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, Duke, Houston, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, Texas and UCLA.

• Official visits set: Arkansas (Sept. 14), Baylor (Sept. 27), Arizona (Oct. 4), Duke (sometime September), possibly Arizona State. Via 247Sports.

• Other visits taken: Houston (June 2024). Michigan, North Carolina and Texas all last year.

Koa Peat has had a whole host of high major programs after him for the past two-to-three years and he’ll be nearing a decision after his final official visit on October 4. The 6-foot-7 forward out of Perry High School (AZ) has long made the hometown Arizona Wildcats a priority with several trips to games and practices. While other schools have picked up steam as of late, Peat has shown loyalty to his hometown teams before, opting against the prep route and staying with Perry for all four years of high school.

Duke is heavily in the mix as well, per 247’s Travis Branham, despite their hot pursuit of 2025 No. 2 recruit Cam Boozer, who also plays forward. North Carolina is another big player in Peat’s recruitment, with head coach Hubert Davis coming out several times for Peat’s high school and AAU games this past year. Finally, Texas and Arkansas are other key pieces to watch, though Arkansas looks to have more traction over the Longhorns after John Calipari was reportedly “keeping an eye” on Peat after his transition to Fayetteville. 

Caleb Wilson

• Schools involved: Top 12 of Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Duke, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio State, Oregon, Tennessee, UCF and USC.

• Official visits set: Alabama, Oregon.

• Other visits taken: Auburn, Alabama, Tennessee, Stanford, Kentucky, Georgia Tech.

Wilson and his family have been casting a wide net with a lot of schools in the mix. He took a bunch of visits last year and has a couple more coming up.

“He’s open to the best situation, and they’re just leading the pack,” his father Jerry said of the top 12 schools. “This new college basketball roster building is a very fluid situation, so he has to be very precise in his decision so his new home can fit his particular set of skills. With all the changes from coaches to conferences, who knows where the right place may be, we just know there is a place for him.”

Nate Ament

• Schools involved: Duke, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, UConn and Virginia.

• Official visits set: Kentucky (Aug. 28) and Virginia (Sept. 14). Planning Duke, North Carolina and UConn, among others.

• Other visits taken: Virginia unofficials (October 2022 and January 2024). Duke unofficial (September 2023).

Ament has been one of the nation’s fastest growing players. The 6-foot-8 versatile wing is now a consensus top-10 recruit. With two recently scheduled visits to Virginia and Kentucky, the pair of programs appear to be in an early two headed race. 

Ament is also eyeing official visits to Duke, UConn and North Carolina, he told ZAGSBLOG at the UA Next Elite 24 scrimmage. He broke down these options after the game, while mentioning that he’ll look to commit on the later side of the cycle.

Mikel Brown Jr.

• Schools involved: Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisville, Ole Miss, Providence, Texas and UCF.

• Official visits set: None reported.

• Other visits taken: Alabama, Ole Miss and UCF in January/February 2024.

Brown Jr. is regarded as one of the best shot and playmakers in the 2025 class. He recently transferred to DME Academy (FL), an Adidas sponsored program, and played with Team Loaded on the Adidas 3SSB circuit this summer. Brown has also signed a high school NIL deal with Adidas. It would be wise to look out for the Adidas schools listed above. Overall, Brown’s recruitment has been pretty quiet. Look out for official visit dates to tell us more about where he stands.

Meleek Thomas

• Schools involved: Top seven of Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Kansas, Kansas State, Pittsburgh and UConn.

• Official visits set: Working on scheduling Alabama, Arkansas, Kansas and Kansas State.

• Other visits taken: UConn (late June). Auburn (January 2024). Kentucky with John Calipari (February 2024). Pitt in March 2024.

After the UConn official visit, the Huskies seem to be the leader in the clubhouse for Thomas. Dan Hurley said he himself is a badass, and so is Thomas, so he should come to Storrs. Still, you can’t count out Arkansas and the longstanding relationship Thomas has with John Calipari. And schools like Alabama, Kansas and Kansas State will likely have the five-star guard on campus this fall. This recruitment is far from over. Thomas intends to sign during the early signing period.

Isiah Harwell

• Schools involved: Top four of Cal, Gonzaga, Houston and Texas.

• Official visits set: Houston (Aug. 22) and Texas (Aug. 30), per 247Sports.

• Other visits taken: Gonzaga (Feb. 2024), Cal (June 2024).

Harwell will announce his final college decision on Sept. 12. He will decide between his four finalists above a couple weeks after he completes the visits to Houston and Texas.

Brayden Burries

• Schools involved: Arizona, Duke, Houston, UCLA, USC and others.

• Official visits set: None reported.

• Other visits taken: Arizona (February 2024). Unofficials to USC and UCLA.

ZAGSBLOG has not been able to catch up with Burries in quite some time. When interviewed in May, he said he was “open to everything.” Where Burries sets official visits will be telling. Until then, things are still pretty up in the air.

Jasper Johnson

• Schools involved: Top five of Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisville and North Carolina.

• Official visits set: None.

• Other visits taken: Alabama (late June). Kentucky and North Carolina (February 2024).

Johnson is set to announce later this month, his father confirmed to ZAGSBLOG. He will decide between his top schools above. Alabama, Kentucky and North Carolina are the favorites to land the talented scoring guard.

Jalen Haralson

• Schools involved: Top nine of Auburn, Duke, Gonzaga, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan State, Missouri, Notre Dame and Purdue.

• Official visits set: Indiana (Aug. 31), Notre Dame (Sept. 7) and Michigan State (Sept. 14), Missouri (Sept. 21), Purdue (Sept. 28) and Kansas (Oct. 19).

• Other visits taken: Auburn (September 2023). Two unofficials to Michigan State in 2022.

Haralson — the 6-foot-6, 210-pound small forward from La Lumiere (IN) and the Indiana Heat AAU program — had an impressive summer on the EYBL circuit and averaged 16.6 points and 4.6 rebounds during Peach Jam. Look out for the hometown schools Indiana and Purdue here. Haralson’s Kansas visit is during Late Night in the Phog, and he will get to see Nelly in concert. That’s pretty substantial. Michigan State and Notre Dame are also in good spots.

Chris Cenac

• Schools involved: Top 12 of Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Baylor, Houston, Kentucky, Louisville, LSU, Michigan State, Tennessee, Texas and UConn.

• Official visits set: Arkansas (September 14) and Baylor (September 27).

• Other visits taken: Unofficial to Houston (September 2023). No officials taken yet.

Cenac has landed in the top 10 recruits following a NBA top 100 Camp MVP performance. The 6-foot-10 forward has earned over 20 offers since April, and has gained some buzz in light of his recent transfer to Nike EYBL Scholastic program Link Academy. Cenac recently narrowed his list to 12 schools and will take visits in the fall, starting with Arkansas and Baylor in September. Other visit dates are expected to come as hometown school LSU is heavily in the mix alongside Kentucky. It’s unclear whether Cenac will make a decision before the November 13 signing day, but a choice could come to fruition following the visits. 

Bryson Tiller

• Schools involved: Auburn, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Kansas and Providence.

• Official visits set: Auburn (Sept. 28), Georgia Tech (Oct. 19). Via 247Sports.

• Other visits taken: Providence (January 2024). Indiana and Kansas (December 2023). A couple unofficials to Kansas, including one in June 2024.

Tiller is another prospect who has had a quiet recruitment. The 6-foot-10, 240-pound forward out of Overtime Elite doesn’t have an official top schools list, but all the programs above are in the mix. Keep a close eye on Indiana and Kansas, who are perceived to be the favorites. He’s visited both of those programs officially and has been in Lawrence a couple times for unofficials. Tiller said to 247Sports a list cut isn’t too far away and he’ll think about a decision timeline after the Georgia Tech visit.

Trey McKenney

• Schools involved: Top 10 of Creighton, Georgetown, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon, UCLA and USC.

• Official visits set: USC (Sept. 1), Michigan (Sept. 28), Michigan State (Oct. 4 ), Oregon (Oct. 12), Miami (Oct. 26), Notre Dame (Nov. 9) and Creighton (Dec. 4). Georgetown unofficial set for Sept. 13.

• Other visits taken: Rutgers, TCU and Georgetown (winter 2023). Michigan State unofficials (September 2022 and January 2023).

McKenney added the Miami official visit today, as well as an unofficial to Georgetown, he told ZAGSBLOG. He has a very busy schedule seeing schools this fall before making a decision sometime in the winter. ZAGSBLOG will catch up with McKenney after each of his visits.

Darius Adams

• Schools involved: Alabama, Michigan State, NC State, Notre Dame, Tennessee and UConn.

• Official visits set: UConn (Sept. 4-6), NC State (Sept. 6-8), Notre Dame (Sept. 10-12), Tennessee (Sept. 13-15), Michigan State (Sept. 20-22) and Alabama (Sept. 27-29).

• Other visits taken: UConn unofficial (late June). Unofficials to Michigan State and Tennessee last fall for football games.

Adams doesn’t have an official top list, but he told ZAGSBLOG at Peach Jam the schools he’s visiting are the schools he’s focused on. Michigan State and UConn have been in the mix for quite some time and should be watched closely. Adams wants to commit sometime before his senior high school season at La Lumiere.

Shelton Henderson

• Schools involved: Top six of Duke, Houston, Louisville, LSU, Texas and Texas Tech.

• Official visits set: Louisville (Aug. 23), Texas Tech (Sept. 13), Houston (Sept. 20), Texas (Sept. 27), Duke (Oct. 4), and LSU (Oct. 11).

• Other visits taken: Houston unofficials (September 2023 and 2022).

Henderson was one of the highest risers in the rankings this summer and is now a consensus top-20 prospect in the 2025 class. He’s set official visits to all of his finalists but hasn’t informed us of a potential commitment timeline. Henderson is a Houston native and the Cougars will certainly be a school to watch here. ZAGSBLOG will catch up with Henderson after his Louisville visit this coming weekend.

Cayden Boozer

• Schools involved: Arkansas, Duke, Illinois, Kentucky, Miami and North Carolina.

• Official visits set: None.

• Other visits taken: Duke, Miami, Florida and Kentucky (with Calipari) all last fall.

Like his brother, Boozer’s recruitment has been rather quiet. When ZAGSBLOG last spoke to him, it was the five schools above in the mix. We’d expect him to make his final decision from those schools plus Illinois. Again, Miami and Florida are in a good spot as the hometown schools, but look out for Duke. Derek Piper of 247Sports has also reported Illinois is in the mix and recruiting the five-star guard hard.

Kingston Flemings

• Schools involved: Top five of Arkansas, Gonzaga, Houston, Texas and Texas Tech.

• Official visits set: Houston (Aug. 30-Sept. 1), Texas (Sept. 6-8), and Gonzaga (Oct. 5). Per the Athletic.

• Other visits taken: Texas Tech (September 2023). Texas unofficial (June 2023).

Flemings — the 6-foot-3, 165-pound guard from Brennan (TX) and the San Antonio Future AAU program — is one of few Texas natives to continue playing high school basketball in-state. He is also being recruited hard by three Texas schools, so him staying home for college is a very likely possibility. Flemings told 247Sports he’s unsure when he will make a decision.

Arkansas has picked up a commitment from 2025’s No. 1 point guard Darius Acuff, but the Razorbacks extended an offer to Flemings after Acuff’s commitment. John Calipari’s program ultimately makes the top-five here, while receiving the last visit to boot. Fans shouldn’t turn a blind eye on Gonzaga as they’ve long been known to develop high upside guards, and have recently made Fleming’s list and the list for over three top-40 players. 

Xavion Staton

• Schools involved: Top six of Arizona, BYU, Michigan, Stanford, UNLV and USC.

• Official visits set: Michigan (Sept. 9), USC (Oct. 5), Stanford (Oct. 11), UNLV (Oct. 26), and BYU (Nov. 2).

• Other visits taken: UNLV unofficial (August 2023).

The 6-foot-11 center recently trimmed his list and set visits to the five of the six schools mentioned above (he will not visit Arizona just yet). He broke down all of these programs to ZAGSBLOG at the UA Next Elite 24 scrimmage two weeks ago. Staton spoke highly of all his options, with a bevy of routes to take, including national contenders, dynamic offenses and high academic programs.

Braylon Mullins

• Schools involved: Top 10 of Alabama, Duke, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, Purdue, Tennessee and UConn.

• Official visits set: Michigan (Sept. 7), North Carolina (Sept. 14), Indiana (Sept. 20), Duke (Oct. 4), Tennessee (Oct. 19), and Kentucky (Oct. 25). Per 247Sports. 

• Other visits taken: Michigan (early June). UConn (early August). Kentucky, Purdue, Ohio State unofficials (late June). Cincinnati unofficial (May). Indiana unofficial in March for game vs. Michigan State. Indiana (December 2023). Purdue, Iowa and Butler (October 2023). Notre Dame, Indiana and Illinois (Sept. 2023). Butler February 2023 for game vs. St. John’s. Indiana unofficial November 2022. 

Mullins — the 6-foot-5, 180 pound shooting guard from Greenfield-Central (IN) and the Indiana Elite AAU program — has seen a ton of schools so far in his recruitment. He has several official visits scheduled with Kentucky getting the last one in late October. Look out for the hometown program Indiana and Kentucky in this recruitment. Mullins recently cancelled his visit to Alabama and said he’s not setting officials with Purdue and Kansas, per On3. That’s pretty telling.

Niko Bundalo

• Schools involved: Top eight of Kentucky, Michigan State, North Carolina, Ohio State, Pitt, Texas, UConn and Xavier. Added Kansas to mix as well.

• Official visits set: Visits set: UConn (Aug. 30), Michigan State (Sept. 9), Ohio State (Sept. 21), North Carolina (Oct. 4). Per 247Sports. Kentucky also set to receive an official, per Jacob Polacheck.

• Other visits taken: Visits taken: Ohio State unofficial (June 2023). Pitt unofficial (August 2023). Duke, Michigan State unofficials (Sept. 2023). Notre Dame unofficial (October 2023). UCLA unofficial (January 2024). 

Bundalo has dropped some big news recently, transferring to Prolific Prep to join Darryn Peterson. He also said he’s now working to visit Kansas and has added them to the mix, per 247Sports. Bundalo would like to decide before the early signing period in November.

Tounde Yessoufou

• Schools involved: Top 10 of Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, Kansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, UConn, UCLA, USC and Washington.

• Official visits set: Arizona (June 16), USC (June 25) and Washington (September 23, 2023).

• Other visits taken: Baylor (August 31), Tennessee (September 14) and Kentucky (October 11).

Yessoufou has one of the more unique skillsets in high school basketball. The 6-foot-7 wing is a physical presence, attacking downhill and rebounding at a high level. He’s also shown great strides on the perimeter, knocking down triples and creating separation for his shot. The Benin native is in the midst of a two-pronged recruitment. He saw schools in his area (Arizona and USC) back in June, telling ZAGSBLOG he had a “great experience” with Tommy Lloyd and the Bears in Tucson.  

Now, Yessoufou gets set to travel across the country with visits to Baylor and Tennessee coming in the next three weeks, alongside a trip to Kentucky for Big Blue Madness in October. The Wildcats have made him a strong priority in their 2025 class and securing a late visit date is an intriguing sign of things to come. 

Nikolas Khamenia

• Schools involved: Top five of Arizona, Duke, Gonzaga, North Carolina and UCLA.

• Official visits set: Arizona (Aug. 31), North Carolina (Sept. 6) and Duke (Sept. 13). Per On3.

• Other visits taken: Gonzaga (September 2023 during Kraziness in the Kennel). Gonzaga official (October 2023).

Khamenia — the 6-foot-8, 210 pound forward from Harvard Westlake (CA) — just released his top five this past week and scheduled official visits. It’s hard to ignore how involved Gonzaga has been here, with that being the only school he’s visited. He would like to choose a school in mid-October after visits, per 247Sports.

Dwayne Aristode

• Schools involved: Arizona, Duke, Michigan State, UCLA, USC, Wake Forest and others.

• Official visits set: Michigan State (Aug. 29-31) and Duke (Sept. 20-22).

• Other visits taken: UCLA unofficial (August 2023). Wake Forest (September 2023). Arizona (January 2024). USC unofficial.

Aristode hails from the Netherlands and is one of the best defenders in the 2025 class. He has two officials set to Duke and Michigan State and will be looking to set up some more. Some schools have tried to get Aristode to reclass, but he will remain in the 2025 class. All of the programs above are still very much in the mix and any other visits Aristode schedules will be telling.

Acaden Lewis

• Schools involved: Top eight of Auburn, Duke, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, Syracuse, Tennessee and UConn.

• Official visits set: Kentucky (June 17), UConn (June 25), Syracuse (August 1) and Duke (August 5)

• Other visits taken: North Carolina (October 4).

Lewis has risen to the challenge at every summer ball stop, and has asserted himself as one of the nation’s premier combo guards. The 6-foot-3 Sidwell Friends (D.C.) product earned offers from four blue blood schools in the last three months, all of whom are still in the mix to land the coveted guard. After taking visits to Kentucky, UConn, Syracuse and Duke, it appears the Huskies and Orange have jumped out to a lead, with North Carolina involved as well.

Duke is seen as the wildcard here with Lewis having a “great” visit in Durham just over two weeks ago. From a scheme perspective, Lewis’ game feels fit for UConn. The Huskies prioritize efficiency and fast-paced decision making, all of which Lewis thrives on. He still has an upcoming visit with North Carolina, though, and trips to other schools are still up in the air. 

More to this story coming tomorrow with updates on Kiyan Anthony, Sebastian Williams-Adams, Davion Hannah, Jerry Easter, Hudson Greer, London Jemison, King Grace, Isaiah Denis, Kayden Mingo, Shon Abaev, Eric Reibe, Tyler Jackson, Jaden Toombs, Nyk Lewis, Derek Dixon, Nigel Walls, Cam Ward and Keyshuan Tillery. You can click the names for ZAGSBLOG’s latest story. 

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