Virginia's 2026 Recruiting Board Takes Shape

Ryan Odom has Virginia involved with some heavyweight recruits in the class of 2026.  The summer evaluation periods ended over the weekend.  Odom and the Wahoo staff have spent a lot of time on the road in July, checking on key targets and evaluating new ones.  Along the way, we’re able to gain some insight on UVA’s recruiting picture. 

*All rankings from the On3 industry average 

Priority Combos

The two guys UVA head coach Ryan Odom has consistently shown up for all summer are probably being recruited for one spot, combo forwards Billy White III and Cole Cloer.  Both top 50 ranked recruits recently named Virginia as a finalist.  

Billy White III out of Corpus Christi, Texas is scheduled to be in Charlottesville for an official visit at the end of August on the weekend of the football opener.  It’ll be the first of six visits with scheduled trips to SMU, Oklahoma State, TCU, LSU, and Maryland running through mid-October.  It seems like anyone’s race right now.  

Odom started recruiting Cole Cloer while still at VCU.  From North Carolina, Cloer is transferring this year to powerhouse IMG Academy (FL).   There are fall visits already scheduled to Louisville, Florida, and Alabama.  UConn and the home-state Tar Heels are firmly in the mix as well.  And after a strong showing at Nike Peach Jam, new offers from Kentucky and Arkansas rolled in this week.  So, the Hoos have their work cut out for them. 

Landing either of those guys would be a massive statement by Odom.  He’s clearly trying hard to establish a Texas pipeline.  Pulling in a player of White’s status in year one would be incredible.  And Cloer’s recruitment has reached full blue-blood status now.  

Dreaming Big

Virginia has an obvious opening up front next season.  Odom is using that as an opportunity to go big-game hunting for an elite power forward or center in the 2026 class.   

Starting with Petersburg (VA) power forward Latrell Allmond, ranked 31st in the class and likely moving higher.  The new UVA staff have been recruiting him since they arrived.  Allmond visited Indiana in June, and the Hoosiers seem to be in a good spot. But there’s a long way to go, the plan is for an October decision with more fall visits ahead.  The Hoos should get one of those visits.  

Iowa United center Arafan Diane has said he intends to visit.  Odom jumped in the mix after eyeing him at Top 100 Camp last month. Ranked 21st, he’s considered by many as the best center in the class.  The Guinean has a long list of suitors as you’d imagine, Kentucky and Kansas among them.  Houston, where he has an upcoming visit scheduled, appears to be a serious contender. There’s no clear favorite though, giving the Hoos a fighting chance.   

After watching him at Peach Jam last week, Odom extended a new offer to Ethan Taylor. The Link Academy (MO) 7-footer is ranked as the 23rd player in the class.  His recruitment has had a regional flavor up until now.  He’s taken unofficial visits to Kansas and Kansas State, with Missouri and Oklahoma in the mix.  We’ll see if the Odom can lure him to Grounds for a visit this fall. 

If there’s another big man to keep an eye on, it’s Davidson Day (NC) power forward Cody Peck.  He was actually the first recruit to receive a UVA offer from Odom back in April.  The coaching staff has  continued to stay involved with him this summer.  Ranked 77th, Peck is a bit more of a developmental prospect than the names above but still very talented.  He may be the best shot blocker in the class.  

Messy Guard Board 

UVA would ideally like to add two guards in the class, one at minimum.  It’s a messy board right now. Lots of names, but hard to say yet in which races the Hoos will be a factor this fall.  

Westlake (TX) combo guard Bo Ogden, ranked 45th, has a visit locked in for the weekend of September 25th.  His dad is on the coaching staff at Texas, so it’s probably a very uphill battle for everyone else involved.  He’s going through the process, and giving UVA a chance.  Ogden and Billy White III are AAU teammates, so Odom can try to pitch the old package deal. 

The most relevant guard on the list might be the one offered this week, Principia (MO) shooting guard Quentin Coleman. Odom and the crew saw a lot of him at Peach Jam, where he led his team to the championship.  His recruitment is exploding now, making the jump from mid-major to pulling in half a dozen power conference offers in a couple days.  Expect the Hoos to make a strong push.  He’s unranked, but that’ll soon change. 

There’s a pair of guards in the big-game category. Five-star Long Island Lutheran (NY) PG Dylan Mingo said last week that he’ll probably visit.  And despite hope looking bleak, Odom was frequently courtside in July for 26th ranked Bryson Howard.  He’s the son of Josh Howard, who Odom’s dad coached at Wake Forest.  Mingo and Howard can choose almost any school they want. Just getting a visit would be an achievement. 

A surprise in July was that the UVA coaches didn’t turn out to see Mayde Creek (TX) SG Christian Gibson.  Up until then, he seemed to be the one guard the Hoos were well-positioned with.  We’re still getting a feel for how Odom does things, so it’s possible that doesn’t mean the end of a recruitment.  It’s certainly not a good sign though. 

Wasatch (UT) guard Junior County, ranked 37th, said he’ll name a top five soon.  UVA has stayed active in his recruitment since offering in May, but making the cut will be a close call if the list is that short.  And it’ll be interesting to see if UVA makes it past the list cut/visit scheduling stage with 57th ranked Newman (MA) wing Lucas Morillo.  The coaches have been around from time to time for both of those guys this summer.  

What’s Next

With the summer live periods over, the class of 2026 recruits will start moving forward in their decision-making process.  Over the next few weeks, a lot of them will announce finalists and they’ll all begin scheduling official visits.   UVA probably isn’t finished making scholarship offers either, more might trickle out in the days ahead.  

September and October are the busy months for official visits, and college decisions for that matter.  Odom has aimed high in his first recruiting class.  It’ll be exciting to see if he can get them to the signing table this fall. 

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