This week in IU basketball and football recruiting – June 14, 2020

It was another interesting week in the world of IU Athletics recruiting.

From commitments and offers to other intriguing stories, each week we summarize the top news from the trail.

Here is the latest edition of This week in IU basketball and football recruiting.

4-STAR QB McCULLEY COMMITS

Did the Hoosiers land their quarterback of the future on Thursday?

They certainly landed a highly ranked prospect.

Indianapolis based 6-foot-5 dual-threat quarterback Donaven McCulley announced his commitment to IU, becoming the 9th highest ranked recruit ever for the Hoosiers during the recruiting rankings era.

McCulley is ranked by the 247Sports Composite as the No. 12 dual-threat passer in the country and No. 3 prospect overall in Indiana.  He is rated No. 317 by 247 and No. 210 by Rivals and McCulley is a 4-star recruit according to both services.

With Michael Penix, Jack Tuttle, Dexter Williams, and now McCulley in the mix, IU has an impressive amount of talent in its quarterback room.

JADEN SCHUTT A NEW 2022 NAME ON THE IU BASKETBALL RADAR

Endless Motor had a story on Tuesday about class of 2022 sharpshooter from Illinois Jaden Schutt.  The report indicated that IU is showing interest in the incoming junior.

Schutt averaged 22.9 points, 9.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists per contest for Yorkville Christian as a sophomore for the 2019-20 campaign.

A 6-foot-5 shooting guard, Schutt did the unthinkable this past season when he poured in 17 three-pointers in a single game.

1️⃣7️⃣ three pointers in one game. 🤭@schutt_jaden pic.twitter.com/XjKl4WVR3B

— Hudl (@Hudl) January 14, 2020

Schutt has an offer from Illinois, and he rattled off at least eight other Big Ten programs that are showing him interest including IU.

Rivals has Schutt ranked as the No. 146 player in the class of 2022, while 247Sports does not yet have him in their rankings.  Schutt’s film shows that he is more than just a shooter — he is a good athlete.  A move up the charts seems likely in the near-term.

2022 POINT GUARD BRADEN SMITH GROWING AND STAYING IN TOUCH WITH IU

The Daily Hoosier caught up with the parents of Westfield, Ind. class of 2022 point guard Braden Smith.

IU had Smith down for a visit in February, and a weekly dialogue has continued since.

Smith’s height and weight have been early question marks, but after adding two inches and 17 pounds over the last few months those concerns seem likely to fade.

Point guard is a priority need in the class of 2022.  The Hoosiers offered a scholarship to Georgia 4-star Bruce Thornton last week.

Now the question is which of three quality in-state point guards (Smith, Tayshawn Comer, Leland Walker) will separate from the pack as juniors and become an in-state point of emphasis at the position.

CLASS OF 2021 GUARD AMINU MOHAMMED JUNIOR SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

Very few prep players stuff the stat sheet like Missouri’s Aminu Mohammed.

How did Mohammed put up his ridiculous numbers as a junior?  Highlights released this week provide some insight.

Mohammed averaged 34.8 points, 15.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.5 blocks per game to lead Greenwood Laboratory School to a 26-4 mark.

There are legitimate questions about the caliber of competition that Mohammed faces at the high school level.  But he has also performed well against national competition, along with last spring and summer when he played up a year for AAU.  Mohammed averaged 17 points and eight boards a game in 2019 playing for Boo Williams on the Nike EYBL.

You can also watch Mohammed’s AAU highlights from last summer here:

Indiana continues to be closely involved in Mohammed’s recruitment, although a decision is likely not coming until the fall at the soonest.

IS JOSHUA SALES THE NEXT IN-STATE COMMIT FOR IU FOOTBALL?

IU football’s 2021 recruiting class has a strong in-state flavor thus far, with 4 of the 9 commits hailing from the Hoosier State.

Of course McCulley committed this week, and central Indiana offensive tackle Joshua Sales may not be far behind.

247Sports analyst Steve Wiltfong often makes accurate prognostications late in the process for recruits, and this week he logged a pick for IU to land Sales.

Sales is the No. 764 player overall in the class of 2021 according to the 247Sports Composite, and the No. 69 tackle and No. 11 player in the state.

Kansas, Michigan State, Nebraska and Purdue have been the other key players in Sales’ recruitment lately, and he also recently reported an offer from Arizona State.

The theme with Indiana’s class of 2021 thus far has been the quality, with all of the commits ranked in the top-1000.  Sales might be the next in line to continue that trend.

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