It may look like most of Florida’s recruiting efforts have been mostly related to transfers but that isn’t the only avenue for bringing in talent they’re exploring as Todd Golden and company have also been working class of 2022 targets.
A visit for top-50 scoring guard Riley Kugel is set to take place, and the Gators are thought to be in a good position for his services. His high school teammate at Dr. Phillips in Orlando, Denzel Aberdeen, is already committed to the Gators, and there is a connection with Florida assistant Korey McCray. Kugel was previously committed to Mississippi State and his primary recruiter was McCray, giving the Gators an edge with his current recruitment.
On Thursday the Gators got news that they’d be getting a visit from another top wing in the 2022 class, this time Tyrell Ward. Ward was previously committed to Xavier but decommitted when the Musketeers moved on from Travis Steele, reopening his commitment and leading to the Gators quickly getting in touch.
Ward was clearly extremely interested in what Golden had to say as he set his first visit for Florida. He will have an in-home visit with LSU before he heads to Gainesville and he’s looking to set a visit to Oregon, but Florida was the first school he committed to travel to go see.
Hailing from Maryland, Ward went to basketball powerhouse DeMatha Catholic where he grew in stature and skill, building on talent and slowly rising in recruiting rankings. Ultimately he ended up as the 40th ranked player in the class which speaks to his abilities and why he’s going to be sought after as a projected difference maker at the high major level.
Standing at 6’7” Ward made his name known on the grassroots circuit as a pogo stick athlete that could dunk just about everything and soar high above the rim for blocks and rebounds. However, starting in his junior season he started to add a consistent jump shot, and as a senior he started to create off the dribble and develop a pull up jumper that was nearly unguardable. Already a tremendous athlete his ability to now create offense and finish plays saw him rocket up recruiting rankings.
Watching his film you can see a player that is perfect for the modern game with his 6’7” frame and his ability to shoot. Long, athletic wings that can hit the three are as valuable as it gets in college basketball these days and you can see why Todd Golden went hard after him as soon as he reopened his commitment. Not just a three-and-D player, Ward has a vast array of finishing moves around the rim that demonstrate both his explosiveness but also a smooth touch and perhaps most notably, excellent footwork. Ward is savvy with pro hops, euro steps, and off-hand finishes and it makes it difficult for defenders to contest his creative attempts around the rim.
Defensively, Ward takes pride and words hard to navigate around screens and battle on the glass. The physical gifts are perfect for a defensive stopper, and that makes his floor outcome very high as a basketball player. Even when his shots aren’t falling he can dominate the defensive side of the floor and create steals and blocks that a shorter, less explosive player wouldn’t be able to manage.
The only thing that is keeping Ward from being rated even higher is that he is rail-thin and can get pushed off his spots from more stout, physically developed players. There have been matchups against more muscular players where Ward has been somewhat neutralized, and some evaluators have had a bit of concern regarding how that will affect him at the high major level.
With 15-20 pounds of muscle being the difference in what keeps him from being a high-five star player, Ward is obviously an incredible talent and the Gators will be working hard to land him. His visit is set for April 19th, but we may not find out his intentions for a little while after that as he works out other visits he wants to take.