Who is going to join senior guard Prince-Alexander Moody in Indiana basketball’s recruiting class of 2026?
Three elite prospects — and three of IU head coach Darian DeVries’ primary targets — are in or nearing decision making mode, meaning a college choice is likely in the next few weeks.
5-star 6-foot-8 forward/wing Anthony Thompson (pictured left) has taken all of his scheduled visits, including a stop in Bloomington last month. He took official visits to IU, North Carolina, Ohio State, Michigan, Texas and Kentucky from mid-August to late September.
As of Monday morning the Ohio native had not disclosed an announcement date, but with his visits behind him the news could be coming any day. Ranked No. 6 overall in the class and the No. 2 small forward, Thompson appears likely to choose between IU and Ohio State based on national reports. Michigan is another top-contender but they’ve taken a small forward and power forward already in their class. And of course you can never count out Kentucky.
7-foot No. 2 center in the 2026 class and No. 25 overall Ethan Taylor (pictured middle) has completed visits to Oregon, Oklahoma, Kansas, IU, and Michigan State over the last couple months, and he’s got one more at least scheduled to Kentucky this weekend. The Kansas native was long thought to be a Kansas lean, but Bill Self took a commitment from 2026 Davion Adkins over the weekend, a 6-foot-8 forward with a center skill set similar to Trayce Jackson-Davis. It remains to be seen what impact that has on Taylor. National-types have hinted IU and Kansas were the schools to watch. If Kansas is indeed out of the picture, it might be an IU vs. Michigan State battle, with a decision likely announced this month.
If Taylor’s decision comes before No. 1 2026 center Arafan Diane, one way or another there will be a direct impact. Diane is scheduled to visit IU the weekend of Oct. 17. There has been some speculation Houston was the favorite for Diane going into visits.
And then there’s 6-foot-8 forward Latrell Allmond (pictured right) who visited IU back in June, and saw Virginia, Tennessee and Oklahoma State after that. The No. 29 player in the class and the No. 4 power forward, Allmond has said for months he plans to announce his commitment on his birthday — Oct. 13.
There were very strong Indiana vibes over the summer, but obviously a lot of time has passed. IU still appears to be a top contender for Allmond.
Many have asked whether Allmond and Thompson would pick the same school.
They appear to be highly complementary players. Both could play the four, and while they do have some overlapping attributes, they are very different players. Allmond can shoot the three, and a primary skill set includes utilizing his big frame to finish in the paint. Thompson brings a heavy dose of wing shooting and slashing. Thompson leans more towards the three, while Allmond leans more towards small-ball big man. It’s easy to see them starting side-by-side in a modern college lineup.
UPDATE: Allmond confirmed on Monday he’ll announce on Oct. 13 and his finalists are IU, Virginia, Tennessee, Oklahoma State and Maryland.
UPDATE 2: Taylor cancelled his Kentucky visit.
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