Mike Boynton Pushing for 2019 Five-star Prospect Armando Bacot

OSU coach Mike Boynton hasn’t shied away from fishing for big fish on the recruiting trail, and it seems he’s making headway as it relates to at least one of the whales he’s chasing.

Boynton has offered a number of five-stars in the 2018, 2019 and 2020 classes already, and one — five-star Armando Bacot — is feeling the vibe with the Pokes.

“They are just a program that thinks that I can be a one-and-done,” five-star Armando Bacot told Rivals of OSU. “They have been telling me that they don’t really have any back-to-the-basket bigs that they can throw the ball into, and that I could help change the culture down there.”

Bacot is a five-star, 6-foot-9, 225-pound power forward ranked as the No. 17 overall prospect in the Class of 2019, and the No. 4 player at his position according to the 247Sports composite rankings. He’s got offers in addition from the Pokes from the likes of Duke — the school believed to be the current favorite — as well as Kansas, North Carolina, Villanova and others.

Bacot named a top 10 recently but says right now that Duke, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, VU and OSU are the ones pushing him the most.

“Duke, definitely; I have been hearing from Coach K a lot and coach Jon Scheyer. Virginia Tech with Buzz Williams and VCU has been hitting me up a lot. UNC, also with Roy Williams and Hubert Davis, and Oklahoma State, too.”

Bacot isn’t expected to make a decision anytime soon but should he trim his list in the coming weeks and months, he’ll undoubtedly be on OSU’s radar, as it’s clear Boynton has prioritized the skilled big man as a potential centerpiece for the 2019 class.