BYU Hoops Recruiting Notebook, 9/4: Marcus Adams Jr, 2024 Updates, Visitors, More

Football season is here, but it is a busy time in the BYU Basketball world. The big news of the weekend, of course, was 2023 top 50 recruit and Kansas/Gonzaga transfer Marcus Adams Jr committing to BYU.

Below are some of the top recruiting things I am monitoring.

Marcus Adams Jr.

Gave most of my analysis about Marcus Saturday when he committed. Marcus has the talent to make an immediate and sizable impact for BYU. The question is if he will be eligible to play this year.

Marcus has a legitimate waiver case — the question is if the NCAA will grant him a waiver. BYU tips off the regular season November 6, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we don’t get resolution until later in October. Marcus and BYU will submit a thorough case with documentation that the NCAA will review. Honestly, it’s hard for me to put a percentage right now on the odds the waiver gets approved. I do know that Marcus has a real case, the question is how stringent the NCAA will be. Marcus told me last week that he “highly believed” he’d get the waiver.

If Marcus can play this season, he’d be a huge boost for the team. I’m aligning my expectations — freshmen rarely make big impacts at the power conference level in the transfer portal era. He’s joining a roster that has practiced together all summer and recently finished a Europe trip. He’ll need to earn trust from teammates/coaches and show he deserves minutes. So don’t expect Marcus to step in and take the Big 12 by storm. But, he would absolutely raise the talent level for BYU and could be worth an extra win or two in conference. He can play the 3 or 4 spots and has big scoring ability. If Marcus doesn’t get the waiver approved, he’ll need to redshirt this season.

BYU will in all likelihood finish in the bottom half of the Big 12 standings, but the addition of Marcus Adams Jr gives BYU some juice. Think of it this way — a non-LDS kid who had finalists of UCLA, Kansas, and Syracuse chose BYU. That doesn’t happen. Missouri, Syracuse, St John’s and Seton Hall all made pushes to add Marcus last week, but he only visited BYU and wanted to be part of BYU’s program. I really hope Marcus can play this season. He’d give fans hope of what can be now and in the future. If Marcus can’t play, he’d join 2024 newcomers that contain at least Collin Chandler and Isaac Davis. One national recruiting pundit told me last week that a Marcus and Collin duo could be “special” in the Big 12.

2024 Visitors

BYU has 4 official visits locked down for the 2024 class. 9/29 will be a massive recruiting weekend. Brody Kozlowski, Brooks Bahr, and Jaxon Johnson are all scheduled to visit then. That coincides with BYU’s Big 12 home opener 9/29 versus Cincinnati.

All 3 players are top 150 recruits in the 2024 class. Brooks and Jaxon are planning on serving missions first while Brody is planning to play next season.

Top 150 big man Malick Diallo has his official visit set for 10/21, the same weekend as the Texas Tech game. Malick was at the Sam Houston game Saturday and has attended several BYU football and basketball games.

BYU has a legitimate chance at all four players, although that doesn’t mean BYU will get all four. Isaac Davis has already committed. Year one in the Big 12 will be tough, but if Pope can hit on the 2024 recruiting class that would be huge for the future of the program and his job security. I expect all four players to sign in the early signing period November 8-15.

Another player to watch is big man Khaman Maker. BYU offered the South Sudan native in early August, and sources tell me BYU is working to get him on campus for an official visit. The 7-footer has rocketed his way up the rankings and is a top 150 recruit in the class. An elite rim protector with his size, Maker can also shoot the ball. St John’s, Missouri, Arizona State, and UNLV have also offered.

Sam Houston Visitors

BYU had over 20 basketball recruits, mainly from the 2024-2026 recruiting classes, at the football game Saturday. Nearly the entire Wasatch Academy basketball team was there as well as several other local recruits.

Below are some of the top recruits that were at the game.

• Malick Diallo, 2024
• John Mobley Jr, 2024, Ohio State commit
• Taj Degourville, 2024, San Diego State commit
• Isiah Harwell, 2025 — 5-star guard that preps at Wasatch Academy
• JJ Mandaquit, 2025 — 4 star guard that preps at RSL Academy
• Chris Nwuli, 2025 — 5-star forward that preps at Wasatch Academy
• Lots of 2025/2026 recruits — Dean Rueckert, Anthony Felesi, Junior County, Chamberlain Burgess, among several others

Will BYU fill its last scholarship?

BYU has one open scholarship after the addition of Marcus Adams Jr. School starts tomorrow. At this point, it’s safe to assume BYU has its guys. Someone like Tredyn Christensen could be put on scholarship.