Recruiting update: The latest on who’s going where

There's a lot that has changed about the college basketball recruiting process. One thing that hasn't been transformed yet is this: August always seem to bring a flurry campus visits followed by verbal commitments. We've certainly seen that over the past few weeks. I can't remember the last time we did a recruiting update so let's get up to speed.

You probably saw the latest pair of verbals over the holiday weekend from two elite prospects out of Stewartville – [program_tooltip program_id='712687' first='Minnesota' last='Fury'] teammates [player_tooltip player_id='458305' first='Audrey' last='Shindelar'] and [player_tooltip player_id='339214' first='Jayci' last='Rath']. Shindelar, the 8th-rated prospect in the Prep Girls Hoops Class of 2026, verballed to South Dakota State while 12th-ranked Rath said ‘yes' to the University of St. Thomas. They were the first two incoming juniors who committed at the Division 1 level.

Here's a quick look at where we're at with recruiting based on verbal commitments that have been made public. Some players choose to keep their information quiet, of course, and we occasionally miss an announcement or two on social media. Here's what we do know heading into the fall.

2026 COMMITMENTS

It's very early but there are five college commitments to date from Minnesota's junior class. In addition to the aforementioned Shindelar and Rath, three athletes have verballed to strong Division 2 programs:

2025 COMMITMENTS

There were two major pieces of news out of this year's senior class in recent weeks. First, top-ranked Aaliyah Crump, who earlier committed to the University of Texas – announced she was leaving Minnetonka High School. One of the best handful of prospects in the country, the All Iowa Attack guard has transferred to Montverde Academy, a private prep school in Florida. Other than the obvious benefits of spending a winter in Florida, it's not clear exactly what factors led to Crump making the move away from the defending Minnesota Class 4A state champs. Given the current impact of NIL money on all decisions related to top college prospects, it wouldn't surprise me if the opportunity to play a national schedule with major exposure was a factor. Last year the Montverde varsity girls played 14 games outside of Florida and were featured on ESPN. The Minnesota State High School League prohibits Minnesota teams from traveling to take part in major events across the country. This is a lost opportunity for sure.

Crump's departure means we have a new top-ranked prospect in the Prep Girls Hoops Class of 2025 rankings. That would be [player_tooltip player_id='205298' first='Jordan' last='Ode'] of Maple Grove, herself a nationally rated player. The [program_tooltip program_id='712687' first='Minnesota' last='Fury'] guard has committed to Michigan State University. She is one of 15 Division 1-level players in the senior class expected to sign on the dotted line this fall.

TOP AVAILABLE 2025s

There's no question in our mind that the premier senior still up for grabs right now is #2-ranked prospect [player_tooltip player_id='252379' first='Addison' last='Mack'] of Minnehaha Academy. The [program_tooltip program_id='712687' first='Minnesota' last='Fury'] point guard has had one of the most amazing high school and grassroots careers we've seen. From the first time we watched her as a tiny 7th grader playing for the Blake School, we have been predicting greatness for Addi. Turns out we were right on this one. Mack has a plethora of high-major offers from around the country, including the likes of Maryland, Colorado, West Virginia, North Carolina, Michigan, Virginia Tech and more.

Other top 15 prospects still available include:

One name not listed above is that of [player_tooltip player_id='296523' first='Kendall' last='McGee'], the #3 prospect from Benilde-St. Margaret's. That's because we have no idea what to expect from the talented guard when she eventually returns this season. McGee suffered a catastrophic knee injury at the high school state tournament in 2023 and hasn't played a game since. She has missed two complete AAU summers and we're told McGee many not play until late November. After an absence of more than 18 months there is no way to predict where her game is at. We're hoping for the best. If Kendall returns to form, she will be an outstanding collegian. Fingers crossed.

DIVISION 2 COMMITMENTS

As of September 1st, some 23 seniors from Minnesota have announced their verbal commitments to D2. The vast majority of those players are headed to the regional Northern Sun Conference, which includes the 2024 Division 1 national champions from Minnesota State University in Mankato. Led by top 25 prospect [player_tooltip player_id='339143' first='Danielle' last='Coleman'] (#18, Lakeville South) and [player_tooltip player_id='346182' first='Elayna' last='Boe'] (#24, Lakeville North), that includes 11 players in our top 50 with a couple more recent commits expected to move into that category when the 2025 rankings are updated next month.

Among the D2 commits are three sisters, the Hanna triplets from Maple Grove. Pictured above back when they were freshmen, point guard [player_tooltip player_id='339162' first='Addie' last='Hanna'] (left) is bound for Augustana University in Sioux Falls, combo guard [player_tooltip player_id='206227' first='Lexi' last='Hanna'] (middle) is committed to Missouri-St. Louis, and forward [player_tooltip player_id='337633' first='Bella' last='Hanna'] (right) is headed for Michigan Tech. Triplets are pretty rare, and the chances of all three earning high-level collegiate opportunities has to be miniscule. Nobody has put in more work than this trio.

Here are all of the D2 commits to date from the Class of 2025 listed by college program:

Be sure to let us know if there are other verbal commitments out there that we aren't aware of. We'll get them added to the list.