One college basketball blue blood program is going to score a huge commitment — literally and figuratively — on Wednesday night as four-star recruit Ernest Udeh Jr. makes his college commitment live at 7 p.m. ET on CBS Sports HQ. Udeh will be choosing between traditional powers Kansas and UCLA. You can watch the announcement live in the video at the top of this page, on the CBS Sports App or via your connected device (Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple TV).
A 6-foot-10 center from Florida, Udeh is coming off official visits to both schools to kick off the month of October. However, it appears the Jayhawks, who scored the coveted final visit, have positioned themselves as the front-runner after getting two recent votes in the 247Sports Crystal Ball.
Two dozen schools offered Udeh during his recruitment process, so his services are in high demand, and with good reason. With a 7-foot-2 wingspan, he’s a high-impact big who could provide instant energy as a rim-runner and rebounder upon his arrival next year to whichever school he chooses. 247Sports’ Jerry Meyer recently evaluated him and had this to say on his skill set:
Has a tremendous physique at 6-10, including a 7-2 wing span. Is a quality athlete for a center, plays with energy and runs rim to rim. Excels at snatching and finishing lob passes. Is also a dangerous offensive rebounder with his pursuit of positioning and good hands. Not a polished offensive player. Has limited shooting range. Tends to play upright and needs to refine his footwork. Does have a go-to right handed jump hook. Not a ball handler and is mechanical in his passing but tends to make the correct read. Is a quality rim protector on defense. Is engaged on that end. Controls space as a rebounder.
Recruiting in recent cycles has been tough sledding for Kansas with the cloud of the NCAA investigation into the program looming, but landing Udeh could signal a shift on that front. KU has already landed five-star talent MJ Rice and four-stars Gradey Dick and Zuby Ejiofor. His commitment would propel KU’s class from No. 8 to No. 3 in the rankings.
