For most of the top high school basketball seniors in the country, kicking off the NCAA’s Early Signing Period Wednesday will be festive, with small parties, photo ops and social media posts reinforcing their allegiance to their respective college by signing a national letter of intent.
Still, for top prospects who have yet to make the call, it’s just a source of severe anxiety from a painstaking decision-making process.
Here’s a look at the top five uncommitted prospects in 2023 and where things currently stand in their recruitments.
Isaiah Collier, Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.). PG
Top Contenders: Michigan, USC, UCLA or Cincinnati
Latest intel: On Nov. 16, Collier will reveal which of his four schools he’ll suit up for in college. Collier and his family let Sports Illustrated in on their roundtable discussion, weighing the pros and cons of each school. In the end, the race for arguably the top prospect in the class is headed for a photo finish with Collier putting a “major” premium on relationships “with the entire staff.”
DJ Wagner, Camden (N.J.), PG
Top contenders: Kentucky, Louisville
Latest intel: Reasonable minds can agree that Kentucky and Louisville are the only true contenders to land Wagner. His father, Dajuan Wagner, played for John Calipari at Memphis during the 2001-02 season before being selected No. 6 overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2002 NBA Draft. In May his grandfather, Milt Wagner, was hired as the program's director of player development and alumni relations. Sources indicate that Calipari and the Wildcats have surged ahead in recent months, an idea that Calipari may have inadvertently hinted at on a recent radio show saying, “I may get another kid, where I coached his dad.” Also, the Wildcats picked up a commitment last month from elite 2023 center Aaron Bradshaw, DJ’s teammate at Camden. That can’t hurt.
Under Armour Elite 24
Baye Fall, Accelerated Schools (Denver), C
Top contenders: Auburn, Arkansas, Rutgers, Seton Hall
Latest intel: Fall has set a commitment date of Nov. 15. The all-everything center is a top priority for all four because of his innate ability to impact the game on both ends of the floor on and off the stat sheet. As it stands, Eric Musselman and the Razorbacks are said to be in prime position, but all four have turned up the heat in the 11th hour.
AJ Johnson, Southern California Academy (Los Angeles) CG
Top contenders: Texas, Louisville
Latest Intel: The 6’5” athlete blew up this summer running with Jalen Green Elite (Calif.) in the adidas 3SSB. In September, he visited Texas along with his travel team’s namesake, and the Longhorns have been surging in this race ever since. Louisville had been formidable in this race, but the Cardinals have since faded back. Backchannel conversations have Chris Beard in the driver’s seat.
Cody Williams, Perry (Gilbert, Ariz.), SF
Top contenders: Arizona, LSU, Colorado, USC, LMU and Santa Clara
