Where Does OSU Look after Thompson’s Kansas Commitment?

After Cade Cunningham committed to Oklahoma State last week, I listed some guys to keep an eye on as the early signing period approached.

Well the early signing period starts Wednesday, and a few of the people I mentioned have since eliminated OSU from contention, including Bryce Thompson, who committed to Kansas on Tuesday morning.

Another person I mentioned to keep an eye on was Jaylin Williams, but Williams has since cut his list down to Arkansas, Auburn and Texas A&M.

The early signing period starts Wednesday and lasts a week, but that won’t end the 2020 recruiting cycle, with the regular signing period starting in April. There will be a lot of movement in the next week, and schools’ priority targets will adjust accordingly. But, here is who to watch out for in the meantime.

JT Thor, PF, Norcross, Georgia

With Cunningham’s and Thompson’s decisions made, all eyes should shift to JT Thor.

Many thought Thor has had an OSU lean since his visit, alongside Cunningham and Rondel Walker, in early September. However, Thor is quite a difficult read. He is on social media, but he doesn’t post a ton of stuff.

Five days ago, Cunningham commented on Thor’s Instagram post from the OSU visit, telling Thor to “Make that move!!”

There have also been murmurs of the possibility of Thor playing professional basketball overseas next year, but it’s all been hard to track because of Thor’s low profile.

Thor was originally a five star in the 2021 class before reclassifying to the 2020 class.

There will be a lot of movement as far as team rankings go this week, but a class of only Cunningham, Walker and Thor would rank fifth in the country as of this writing. Last year it would’ve ranked 16th after the dust settled, but the Cowboys will add more than only those three.

He is an example of modern basketball. Thor is tall, but he plays like a guard. Thor with Yor Anei and Kalib Boone would be a nightmare for opposing offenses just in terms of pure length.

Mike Miles, PG, Lancaster, Texas

With Thompson now Kansas bound, it will be interesting to see if OSU starts to recruit Mike Miles more heavily now.

Miles also took his official visit with Cunningham, Walker and Thor in early September, but with the possibility of cramming the recruiting class with guards, it didn’t make an incredible amount of sense to go hard after Cunningham, Walker, Thompson and Miles.

Miles is the eighth-ranked prospect from Texas in the class. He is ranked 142nd nationally per 247 Composite rankings. Rivals is higher on Miles, though, as the service ranks him as a four-star recruit and the 113th-ranked player in the country.

Miles played on the AAU circuit this summer alongside Cunningham and Walker on Texas Titans, and he seems tight with those two.

At this point, it’s uncertain whether Miles will sign in the early period (Nov. 13-20) or if he’ll wait until the spring (April 15-May 20).

He’s the most Underrated PG in the Country! ?‍♂️
pic.twitter.com/L128geIUVd

— Brad Ballislife (@BradBallisLife) October 21, 2019

Montreal Pena, PF, Arlington, Texas

Another Texas Titan and another guy I mentioned last week, Montreal Pena is perhaps more low key than Thor.

Pena, the 275th-ranked player in the 2020 class, took a visit to Stillwater in August. However, it looks as if Pena might not be in a college next fall, but rather the fall of 2021.

Kellen Buffington of The TB5 Reports tweeted in late August that Pena will transfer to Woodstock Academy in Connecticut and reclassify to 2021. That data hasn’t been updated, though, on the major recruiting services.

Await the Shuffle

One of Mike Boynton’s many strengths as a recruiter is his ability to get on prospects early, as he did with Cunningham. However, this early signing period won’t signal the end of Boynton’s work with the 2020 class.

In the coming weeks and months, players will commit to schools, filling their allotted scholarships and other players with hopes of going to that school will have to reevaluate. College coaches will get fired, giving commits and signees the option to look elsewhere. And players will enter the transfer portal whether it be the grad transfer route of otherwise.

Isaac Likekele was once a Fresno State pledge before his would-be coach left the school, giving him the chance to go to OSU. Chris Harris was signed with Texas A&M, but when Billy Kennedy was fired, Harris decided to go to Stillwater.

An interesting point brought up on CBS’ coverage of Thompson’s commitment is that Thompson chose Kansas despite the possibilities of NCAA sanctions affecting the program. That could be another possibility for movement in the coming months.