Ace Bailey changes Rutgers men’s basketball recruiting forever

Ace Bailey, the No. 3 recruit in the 2024 class, has signed his letter of intent with Rutgers. He did so in a ceremony after his game on Saturday night at McEachern high school. The program officially announced his signing on Sunday.

With a recruiting grade of 0.9994, Bailey becomes the highest rated prospect to ever sign with the Scarlet Knights. His athleticism and versatile skill set makes him an elite prospect.

“We are excited to welcome Ace Bailey to The Knighthood,” head coach Steve Pikiell said. “Ace is unique. He can play all five positions at 6-foot-9. He has a chance to be an elite offensive and defensive player and he can really pass the basketball. He has the quickest feet that I’ve seen in high school basketball in a very long time. He has a competitive spirit and an energy about him that is going to make him truly one of the all-time great Scarlet Knights.”

This is a landmark recruiting win for head coach Steve Pikiell and assistant coach Brandon Knight. Bailey’s desire to become a Scarlet Knight exorcises some demons for the program. The ghosts of Tim Thomas, Jay Williams, Troy Murphy, Lance Thomas, Josh Hart and Isaiah Briscoe are officially gone now.

Bailey chose Rutgers over Kentucky and Kansas among others. The narrative that the top national recruits would never go to Rutgers is dead. The ceiling for recruiting for the program is forever changed.

The 6’8” wing is an elite athlete with explosiveness who can score inside and out, create his own shot, has fluid shot mechanics and is a willing rim defender and rebounder. He’s at his best in open space when he can attack the rim. His ceiling is sky high.

The Scarlet Knights have now signed the 5-star Bailey, 3-star forward Dylan Grant and Top 150 wing Bryce Dortch during the early signing period that began on November 8. 4-star center Lathan Sommerville has stated he will sign on the last day of the early signing period on Wednesday, November 15.

The 2024 recruiting class for Rutgers is currently ranked No. 8 nationally in the 247 Sports composite rankings. It marks a historic group of incoming prospects joining the program for the 2024-2025 season. The coaching staff also continues to pursue No. 2 recruit Dylan Harper, who would elevate the class to an epic level. He was in attendance Saturday night in Georgia to support Ace but is not expected to make his own decision during the early signing period.