The 2025 college basketball recruiting battle is in full swing. The 2024-25 college basketball season doesn’t get underway until November, but there is no offseason for programs trying to get to the mountaintop. A couple of teams expected to be at the top of the ’25 class rankings are Duke and Kentucky. That’s not a surprise as Duke and Kentucky are two blue bloods that typically land the best recruits year in and year out. However, there were also other teams picked by CBS Sports College Basketball to have the top 2025 recruiting class.
Arkansas and Miami are programs that could end up being #1 in the class rankings next year. First-year Arkansas coach John Calipari has been a recruiting machine throughout his career and this will only continue at Arkansas. Miami on the other hand has long-time coach Jim Larranaga. Larranaga has been with the Hurricanes since 2011. He led them to their first final four 2 seasons ago. Could either of these schools beat out a perennial powerhouse for the top spot?
The Case For Arkansas
Arkansas coach John Calipari is arguably the greatest recruiter in college basketball history. In his time at Kentucky from 2009-2024, his teams were consistently in the top 3-5 every year in recruiting class rankings. No other school had as many players drafted to the NBA as Coach Cal and his Cats.
NIL has become a massive tool for recruiting. The Razorbacks have a large NIL base that has helped draw high-profile players. The Razorbacks had a lot of success recruiting and in the transfer portal under former coach Eric Musselman. Calipari will build off that. The number one player in the 2025 class is AJ Dybantsa. Arkansas is right in the thick of the race to land Dybantsa. After seeing John Calipari consistently land top recruits the last 15 years and now giving him unlimited NIL resources, you’d be remiss if you don’t think they can’t wind up with the top class.
The Case For Miami
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The case for Miami rests on the decision of five-star recruits Cameron and Cayden Boozer. The Boozer twins are the sons of former NBA player Carlos Boozer. Cameron is a 6 foot 9 forward while Cayden is a 6 foot 4 guard. They are each ranked in the top 20 of ESPN’s recruiting database, with Cameron ranked number two.
Their father Carlos played at Duke but according to CBS Sport’s Matt Norlander, the Miami Hurricanes have a slight lead in the reciting battle with them. Coach Jim Larranaga has been actively recruiting each of them for years. This long relationship with each of them and Larranaga’s long tenure with the Hurricanes make Miami a very viable destination.
While Carlos Boozer played at Duke, it was under Coach K, who retired two years ago. There may not be the same connection with the program because of a new coach. John Scheyer has only been the head coach at Duke for two seasons. The Boozer twins would be a massive get for Miami and would boost them up the recruiting class rankings.
Two Teams Looking For Bounce Back Year
The Razorbacks and the Hurricanes are both coming off a very disappointing 2023-24 season. Coming off three straight seasons making the Sweet 16, the Razorbacks took a major step back. They went 16-17 and missed the NCAA tournament. Miami on the other hand was in the 2023 final four. This past year went 15-17, missing the NCAA tournament.
With the conference realignment that has gone on, both the SEC and ACC will be more difficult. Whether it be the teams added to the league or just the extra travel, it is going to be an adjustment. Both Arkansas and Miami need to bounce back and right the ship in 2024-25.
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