The recruitment of T.J. Leaf has been very interesting to follow since he de-committed from Arizona back in August. After Leaf announced he had de-committed most people assumed he would be headed to UCLA to play his college basketball and while that is still likely Oregon seems to be closing the gap a little bit. Leaf took his official visit to Oregon this past weekend and after it he cut his list of schools to three with Oregon and UCLA being among the finalists, according to Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv.
The other school that remains an option for Leaf is San Diego State but he has only visited them unofficially and doesn't have an official scheduled. Leaf recently said that North Carolina and Louisville were taken out of consideration and that his visit to Oregon "couldn't have gone better for me." Leaf is still set to visit UCLA starting October 30th but now it seems like they might have their work cut out for them after Oregon made quite an impression.
UCLA has been the assumed favorite all along but Oregon has a lot to offer the five-star power forward. Head coach Dana Altman has done a tremendous job of building up the Ducks basketball program and he likes to play a fast style of basketball that gives his players freedom, something Leaf has said he prefers.
Another thing Altman and the Ducks have going for them is the fact that they already have a top ten recruiting class with three four-stars already committed so Leaf knows he will be joining a talented team. Getting a commitment from Leaf would likely push them up into the top five 2016 recruiting classes and would give Oregon their best recruiting class ever.
Leaf is ranked as the 13th best overall prospect and the third best power forward in the 2016 class, according to ESPN, and is viewed as a future NBA prospect. The El Cajon, California native can shoot the ball and finish above the rim and he is the type of recruit that can change a class.
Both schools Leaf is considering already have top ten classes but his choice will make one of them an option for best class in the nation unless he shocks everyone and chooses San Diego State. UCLA may still be the favorite but Leaf loved his visit to Oregon and has put pressure on the Bruins to at least match that when he visits them in a couple of weeks. It is unknown when Leaf will make his decision but the decision just got a whole lot more interesting.
Check out some of Leaf's highlights below:
