On June 15, players in the class of 2024 were officially allowed to directly communicate with college coaches, and it opened a door for many of the top players in the state to see their recruitments heat up. The rising junior class in New Jersey is filled with talent, and many colleges wasted no time in contacting them once the clock hit midnight.
Elliot Cadeau, a West Orange native who recently announced he will transfer to Link Academy in Missouri, heard from several schools, including North Carolina, Kentucky, Baylor, Texas Tech, Alabama, Ohio State and many more, according to Andrew Slater. Cadeau has also scheduled a call with Duke in the near future. Cadeau is the top-ranked point guard in the nation and held a number of offers before the direct contact period began.
Cadeau’s New Heights Lightning teammate Tahaad Pettiford has also been on the radar of many schools, and received some offers on June 15. Tennessee, Providence, LSU, Ole Miss and Auburn all extended offers to Pettiford, while Slater reports that Kentucky, UCLA, Ohio State and others have also reached out to the four-star guard of Hudson Catholic.
Naas Cunningham, the #1 overall player in the country, is taking a different path to his basketball goals, but his recruitment still got more intense on June 15. Cunningham played two seasons at Gill St. Bernard’s before announcing he will further his career with the professional league Overtime Elite. However, because he will not be earning a salary, Cunningham will maintain his college eligibility, and many schools have taken note of that by showing interest in him. Cunningham received six offers on Wednesday, coming from Texas, Bryant, Texas A&M, Iowa, Kansas State and Florida State. Additionally, according to Adam Zagoria, Cunningham also heard from Duke, which he received an offer from prior to the contact period.
Dylan Harper
Photo credit: Lokesh Sutherland
Don Bosco Prep guard Dylan Harper has also been a hot prospect that colleges have shown interest in. Before coaches could directly contact him, Harper already had offers from Rutgers, Texas Tech, Indiana and more. On Wednesday though, Harper added an offer from Auburn.
A pair of Roselle Catholic prospects had a busy day, as Jaiden Glover and Rich Brisco both heard from many colleges. Glover received offers from Rhode Island and Fairfield, while also hearing from Seton Hall, Penn State, Pitt and more, reported by Tom Keller. Keller also said that Brisco has heard from Penn State, Pitt, Iona and others.
Deuce Jones averaged over 20 points per game this past season with Trenton Catholic, but had not been making much noise on the recruiting trail. However, on the 15th, Jones was contacted by Seton Hall and Longwood, according to Kyle Smith.
Deuce Jones
Photo credit: The Visual Hub
Jayden Williams, of Blair Academy, had a double digit number of schools reach out and show interest in him. According to Jacob Polacheck, Williams received an offer from NJIT, as well as interest from Providence, Columbia, Lehigh, Yale and more.
DePaul Catholic’s Jeremy Clayville has also been contacted by several schools, as, according to All In Basketball, Columbia, Boston University, and others have contacted Clayville.
Cornell University was involved heavily in the Garden State on the 15th, expressing interest in Williams, Clayville, and Ramapo guard Peyton Seals.
New Jersey’s class of 2024 is full of talent, and with the direct contact period now underway, the recruitment for rising juniors has really risen. Despite still having two years of high school remaining, college is on their minds, and many players have a great number of options to choose from.