Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on Rivals.com, the leader in college football and basketball recruiting coverage. Be the first to know and follow your teams by signing up here.
Four-star guard Jalen Reece is currently ranked as the No. 59 prospect in the Rivals150 and is coming off a grassroots season that is sure to raise his stock in the next update. Reece was among the EYBL regular-season assist leaders this season, averaging 4.4 per contest to go along with 11.3 points per game. He also led all of Peach Jam in steals while playing for a Florida Rebels squad that posted a 9-6 record.
On the recruiting front, Reece recently narrowed his focus to include just seven programs and will take a handful of fall campus visits before announcing his college choice.
Today, Rivals national analyst Rob Cassidy takes a look ahead, cuts through the noise and handicaps the race to land the four-star prospect.
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THE MAJOR PLAYERS: Ohio State, Cincinnati and Providence
It feels as though the Buckeyes, Bearcats and Friars all have a decent enough shot to land Reece, even though there isn’t enough solid intel to have much confidence ranking the trio in order of most likely to win out at this juncture.
Reece’s family has strong ties to the city of Cincinnati and his father, who also coaches him on both the high school and grassroots level, has sent a couple of former players, including class of 2023 four-star Edgerrin James Jr., to Wes Miller’s Bearcats. Reece is already exceedingly comfortable with both Miller and the Cincinnati campus, which will also play a part.
Meanwhile, Reece has been on record calling Ohio State his “dream school” and seems intrigued by head coach Jake Diebler. He’s been on campus in the past and seems positively influenced by current Ohio State guard Bruce Thornton, with whom Reece has a relationship that dates back to their days playing with and against each other in the AAU circuit.
Providence is in play in part because of Reece’s strong relationship with head coach Kim English and the fact that his teammate Jamier Jones has already committed to the Friars. He has yet to make it to campus for an official visit, however, so the Friars should be seen as running in a close third until an official actually takes place. There is emerging confidence that a date will be scheduled for the fall.
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PRIMED TO MAKE A PUSH: LSU
Reece’s scheduled Sept. 21 visit to LSU could be a pivotal moment in his recruitment because it feels possible that it could vault the Tigers into the group of leaders if everything goes particularly well.
For now, however, LSU feels like it trails by a step or two. Reece has already been on campus in Baton Rouge once in the past, so the return trip is worth monitoring closely.
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THE EVER-SO-SLIGHT POSSIBILITY: USF
Reece and his family have built a great relationship with USF head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim, but modern recruiting goes well beyond personal relationships. Not only will Abdur-Rahim likely be linked to other jobs in the offseason if he pulls off a second consecutive 20-win season at a school that has won 20 or more games just four times since 1990.
There’s also some worry that the Bulls will be unable to stand toe-to-toe with the many of the other programs on Reece’s list from an NIL resources standpoint. Relationships still matter, however, and the one in place between Reece and Abdur-Rahim is strong enough to keep the Bulls alive on the periphery of the conversation.
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THE WINDOW DRESSING: Penn State and Dayton
The Nittany Lions and Flyers feel least likely to land Reece. Each program seems to realize it has a large swatch of ground to make up and has created other options at the point guard spot.
Stranger things have happened in recruiting, obviously, but both programs have significant work to do if they want to be seriously considered on decision day.