Rutgers basketball lands verbal commitment from 4-star wing Jaden Jones

It’s been a fun 24 hours for the Rutgers men’s basketball program. They produced knocked off no. 9 Maryland on Tuesday night to close out the RAC with a program and nation’s best 18-1 record. On Wednesday, head coach Steve Pikiell received great news on the recruiting trail, as 4-star wing Jaden Jones in the class of 2021 has verbally committed to the Rutgers. It was first reported by Evan Daniels of 247 Sports here and soon after, Jones confirmed it on Twitter.

The 6’7” wing took an official visit to Rutgers in January. The top six offers he was considering were Alabama, Arizona, LSU, USC, and San Diego State, in addition to Rutgers. Jones ultimately decided to become a Scarlet Knight instead, as assistant coach Karl Hobbs led his recruitment. The 4-star national recruit is currently ranked 96th in the 2021 class per 247 Sports, as well as the 22nd best wing.

Jones previously played at Prolific Prep in California, which is the same school that current class of 2020 signee Mawot Mag plays for. However, he transferred to St. Louis Christian Academy in Missouri. He has great size for a wing, but has ball skills of a guard and is known for his outside shooting. Jones is still developing, as he just turned 17 years of age.

This is a tremendous win on the recruiting trail for Steve Pikiell and the staff. Securing a commitment from a Top 100 national recruit now is a great start to building a pivotal 2021 class. Jones has the potential to become an elite playmaker in the Big Ten and makes a statement they are building a strong foundation for the future after producing the program’s first winning season in 14 years.

The news of Jones committing also comes days after top 50 recruit in the 2020 class, Cliff Omoruyi, took an official visit to Rutgers. Just last night, Omoruyi announced he was no longer planning visits to Kentucky and UConn, deciding to choose between Arizona State, Auburn and Rutgers. A decision is expected soon.

Here are some highlights of Jones from last spring.