Hoosier Insider: Big recruiting weekend looms for basketball, football
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Bloomington is bustling this weekend.
In part, yes, because Indiana basketball is hosting a top-level opponent when the No. 2 Kansas Jayhawks verge into Assembly Hall on Saturday. These are the matchups this town comes alive for, certain to have an audience that earns the Hoosiers on the floor multiple possessions' worth of points with its energy and presence. Few venues have hosted more of these types of contests than the one that resides just north of 17th street.
While this weekend will attract numerous fans, it will also bring about a number of visitors – for both basketball and football – of high importance.
Indiana is still working on solidifying a 2024 recruiting class in basketball. Currently, it only features one commitment and signee in five-star wing Liam McNeeley. Indiana is still awaiting a decision from Derik Queen, the fellow five-star teammate of McNeeley's at Montverde. Otherwise, the Hoosiers have shifted focus to a number of future prospects, with either reclassification candidates or portal entrants – perhaps a mix of both – likely garnering a lot of attention from Indiana.
Football-wise, Curt Cignetti and his new staff are rapidly assembling a recruiting class ahead of early signing day this upcoming Wednesday, December 20. The new regime has retained and honored some of the holdover incoming recruits, and others have followed the staff from Harrisonburg to Bloomington. As of now, Indiana has 16 current commitments in the 2024 recruiting class and two outside transfer commitments.
Here's the names and info to know for who will be on campus this weekend:
Basketball
Indiana basketball is hosting two official and five unofficial visitors inside Assembly Hall on Saturday.
Joson Sanon, the No. 11 player in the Rivals' 2025 class rankings, is a 6-foot-5 wing from Vermont Academy who would be of great positional value for Indiana in future classes. Rivals labeled Sanon as a potential reclassification candidate to 2024 back in September, and his visit to Indiana this weekend is an official one.
The other official visitor is Atlanta-based 6-foot-9 wing Bryson Tiller, the No. 6 overall player in the junior class. He currently plays with Overtime Elite in Atlanta, Georgia. Mike Woodson and staff made the trip to the facility to watch Tiller play last weekend ahead of the Hoosiers' game versus Auburn the following day.
Indiana will host five sought-after recruits for unofficial visits as well on Saturday.
Trent Sisley, a four-star in-state forward who stars at Heritage Hills (IN), is making another trip to Indiana this academic year and has been a Bloomington frequent over previous seasons. Sisley took a tour of multiple schools after his services during the fall before beginning his junior season, and was in attendance for Hoosier Hysteria in October.
Trey McKenney, a five-star guard and the No. 13 player in the class of 2025, is scheduled to be at Saturday's game. The Flint, Mi. product is of high priority in the class.
Jalen Haralson, the former Fishers (IN) star who transferred to La Lumiere prior to the onset of his junior season, is another high-caliber target of keen interest to Indiana. The No. 8 prospect in the 2025 class and a five-star sizable guard, Indiana has been on the pursuit of Haralson for a while now.
Seven-footer and four-star big man Malachi Moreno will also be in attendance for Saturday's contest, the No. 51 overall player in the 2025 class. The Kentucky-based big man was in attendance at Hoosier Hysteria in October.
Fast-rising guard Jonathan Sanderson, a four-star in the current sophomore class, is also expected to be in attendance Saturday. The Ann Arbor native is the son of Jon, Michigan's head strength and conditioning coach. He took an unofficial visit to Bloomington earlier this year.
Football
Indiana has been flooding campus recently with official visitors in both the high school and transfer portal ranks. Under a new staff with Curt Cignetti and company taking over in Bloomington, the retooling process has required immediate action.
It's already gotten off to a fast start, with Indiana earning the commitment of William Depaepe and the recommitment of top wideout Donaven McCulley from the transfer portal.
Earlier this week, Indiana flipped multiple former JMU commits and landed a running back and quarterback from the portal. Dominoes have started to fall for the Hoosiers, and the momentum around the program seems positive.
Indiana's staff, given the density of needs around the roster and the quickness in which it's demanding of them, has worked largely in silence. Numerous targets have filtered through Bloomington throughout the week, and that won't stop this weekend either. Even with the early signing day coming next week, the portal remains open until just after the first of the year.
More: Curt Cignetti wasting no time in navigating first Indiana offseason
"I think everyone's turning over at least 30 percent of their roster nowadays," Cignetti said back in early December. "It's NFL free agency. You got to thrive in the portal. We're gonna thrive in the portal."
"If you don't (utilize the portal), you've got no chance, but you build it with high school guys."
With clear emphasis on bringing in the right talent to develop and retain, the Hoosiers are sticking to the blueprint that's earned success at every other stop so far on Cignetti's journey.
The next coming set of days could go a long way to jumpstarting that process once again in Bloomington.
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