UCLA Basketball in Mix for 5-Star As Recruitment Heats Up

The Jalen Davis sweepstakes are heating up, and UCLA remains right in the midst of what is now a four-team race for the talented point guard out of Bremerton, Washington.

According to the 24/7 Sports Composite Rating, Davis is listed as a five-star and 17th in the country. He's listed as a combo guard and ranked fourth at his position and first in the state of Washington.

Jalen Davis' Top 4 Schools

Recently, the elite recruit narrowed his list down to his top four schools, with a surprising final four: North Carolina, UCLA, Gonzaga, and Washington. All four seemingly remain heavily in the mix for Davis. What's interesting about his final four is that both Stanford and Iowa have been essentially replaced by Washington, a school that was reportedly not on Davis's list for quite some time.

Within Davis's final four, there seems to be a very clear theme, with one noticeable outsider. Being from Bremerton, Washington, Davis clearly has a major interest in schools close to home, as UCLA, Gonzaga, and Washington remain in his top four.

On the opposite side of the country, North Carolina does still remain a very serious contender for Davis, as the Tar Heels hosted him for a visit that reportedly went well on October 3rd. Since his visit to Chapel Hill, Davis has visited UCLA on October 16th and will visit Gonzaga this upcoming weekend on November 7th.

One thing to note: Davis has not officially visited Washington during his recruitment, but I would certainly expect that the Huskies will get something lined up sooner rather than later.

Bruins' Lack of Recruiting

The Bruins haven't picked up a ton of steam on the recruiting trail for many of the top recruits in the class of 2027, and Davis would certainly be a massive freshman landing for Mick Cronin and his staff. Although I'm not sure that the Bruins are as heavily invested in freshman recruiting and seemingly would rather put their resources towards the transfer portal and international prospects. This is becoming a more common theme around college basketball and could certainly be the case for Mick Cronin and the Bruins.

Regardless, UCLA finds itself right in the midst of a potential recruiting battle that seems to be heating up as we continue to learn more about it in the coming weeks. Davis would be a phenomenal prospect to land in Westwood, but the Bruins find themselves in a recruiting battle with some quality competitors in the recruiting game.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/ucla as UCLA Basketball in Mix for 5-Star As Recruitment Heats Up.