From now until preseason camp starts in August, Land-Grant Holy Land will be writing articles around a different theme every week. This week is all about the most important questions yet unanswered for the season. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content and our ”Burning Questions” articles here.

Whether you are judging by recruiting rankings, on-field success, the eye-test, or NFL Draft results, there is no denying that Ohio State is routinely one of the most talented teams in all of college football. Currently, the Buckeyes sit at No. 5 in the 247Sports recruiting rankings. As of publication, the Buckeyes have 21 recruits committed to the class, including two five-star prospects and 14 four-stars.

But, despite that success, the 2026 class continues a trend that we have witnessed in recent cycles; the Buckeyes seem to be struggling in recruiting top-tier defensive line talent.

The highest-ranked DL prospect in the class is Damari Simeon, who is an interesting case. The New Jersey nstive is currently the No. 201 player in the class and the No. 26 defensive lineman according to the 247Sports Composite Ranking. However, 247Sports itself does not have an individual rank for him, and has him as the No. 44 DL.

With all due respect to Rivals, ESPN, and all of the other recruiting services, I always look a little side-eyed when a player is ranked far better elsewhere than they are by 247, who I think we all agree is the benchmark of recruiting.

The next highest rated recruit is Khary Wilder, the No. 241 player in the country and No. 23 edge rusher. Although many analysts believe that the 6-foot-4, 260-pound prospect is more likely to end up on the inside, rather than on the end, where he plays in high school.

From there, the other defensive linemen in the class are Cameron Brickle, and Jamir Perez. Brickle is the No. 538 player in the country and No. 62 defensive lineman, while Perez is No. 679 and No. 74, respectively, and flipped his commitment from Florida yesterday.

That means that the average defensive line ranking so far in the 2026 class is 414.75. Now, I don’t mind a proven player developer like Larry Johnson taking some projects; we have seen him work magic with diamonds in the rough countless times during his decade-plus tenure at Ohio State. But, missing on top-end talent again and again has become a pattern for LJ in recent years, and as NIL and paying players potentially brings some level of parity to the sport, OSU simply cannot continually see the vast majority of high-value DL targets that it invests ungodly amounts of time and money on go somewhere else.

Now, it’s not like Johnson and the Buckeyes don’t still hit on big-time defensive linemen. Obviously in 2021, they landed J.T. Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer the nation’s No. 4 and 5 players. However, since then, Omari Abor (No. 63 in 2022), Kenyatta Jackson (No. 60 in 2022), Jason Moore (No. 66 in 2023), Eddrick Houston (No. 26 in 2024), and Zion Grady (No. 86 in 2025) are the only top-100 defensive linemen to sign with OSU; Abor is now playing for SMU, Moore has recorded one tackle as a Buckeye, and Grady is yet to officially start his collegiate career.

In fairness, Houston and Jackson played clean-up roles for last year’s championship team — the former a true freshman and the latter as a redshirt sophomore — and likely both will start this fall. However, combined, they have accumulated only 20 tackles in their careers (five for Houston and 15 for Jackson).

So that means that in the four recruiting cycles since LJ landed Jack and J.T., he has only signed five top-100 players, none of whom have yet to make a significant impact for the Buckeyes. If we expand that to top-200 prospects (according to the 247Sports Composite rankings), Ohio State has also signed Caden Curry (No. 123 in 2022), Hero Kanu (No. 129 in 2022, now playing for Texas), Joshua Mickens (No. 119 in 2023), Dominic Kirks (No. 163 in 2024), and Jarquez Carter (No. 198 in 2025).

So, that’s 10 top-200 defensive linemen in the past four years; two have transferred, and the eight who remain have compiled 49 tackles between them. Granted, because Sawyer, Tuimoloua, Ty Hamilton, and Tyleik Williams played for so long, there weren’t a ton of snaps or tackles to go around, so it is a bit unfair to judge them but their tackle totals alone. But the fact remains that Johnson’s ability to close has been less than stellar in the past four years.

As has been the case in recent cycles, in 2026, we have routinely seen top-tier defensive linemen have the Buckeyes in their group of finalists, only to opt to commit somewhere else: Luke Wafle (No. 55) went with USC over Ohio State, Pierre Dean (No. 66) chose Georgia over Ohio State, Earnest Rankings (No. 117) picked Florida State over Ohio State, Landon Barnes (No. 139) picked Ole Miss over Ohio State, and K.J. Ford (No. 116) is expected to pick Florida over Ohio State on Friday, July 11.

So my question is, why? A lot of Buckeye onlookers and insiders are discussing the program and athletic department’s philosophy of focusing NIL money on proven players already on the roster rather than recruits who have yet to play a down of collegiate football. Ryan Day has discussed that plan in the past, and athletic director Ross Bjork has preached that type of hesitancy following the House settlement, potentially scarred by his time as AD at Ole Miss and Texas A&M.

While not a defensive lineman, on Friday, five-star offensive tackle Felix Ojo (No. 7 nationally) committed to Texas Tech 24, just hours after confirming that his top four were Florida, Texas, Michigan, and Ohio State. So, what changed?

Who knows? But, his agent did say after his client’s commitment that the Red Raiders offered Ojo a fully guaranteed, three-year, $5.1 million deal. So maybe that had something to do with it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

I don’t know how those kinds of contracts work with college students, who, presumably, can transfer whenever they want, but that’s clearly not something Ohio State fans (and bloggers) have to worry about, because the Buckeyes seem to have no interest in going anywhere near those types of deals.

Despite the NIL stinginess, Johnson has clearly been incredibly close to landing plenty of players who would have changed the tenor of this conversation. So, is OSU’s refusal to pay a ton of money for young, unproven talent to blame? Some beat reporters think so, and they might be right. But then, why does it not seem to be impacting other positions nearly as much?

Brian Hartline’s wide receiver room currently includes the Nos. 15 and 108 players in the country. The defensive back haul includes Nos. 26, 106, 173, and 176. Tyler Bowen’s first OSU offensive line class currently includes the Nos. 109 and 127 players. And even though James Laurinaitis only has two linebackers currently in his class, one of them is the No. 71 player in the country, and Carlos Locklyn has the No. 167 player in his running back class.

In total, there are currently 10 OSU commits ranked ahead of Wilder, the top defensive line recruit in the Buckeyes’ 2026 class.

Obviously, OSU’s WR pedigree gives Hartline an advantage that practically no position coach in the country has, and I would venture to guess that when it comes to NIL, other than quarterback and wide receiver, defensive linemen (especially edge rushers) command the most money. So perhaps OSU’s frugality hurts LJ a little more than anyone else, buuuuuuuut, he is 72 years old, and I have to imagine that has an impact as well.

We have long heard about schools negatively recruiting against Johnson, telling players that the beloved, grandfatherly position coach was inevitably going to retire during their college career. And while that seems to have quieted down over the past few years, I have to imagine that being 30 to 40 years older than many of the guys you’re recruiting against does put a seed of insecurity into the back of prospects’ minds. Understandably, no one wants to sign with a school only to have the coach who recruited them retire a quarter, or even half, way through their collegiate career.

I don’t doubt that Larry Johnson can still cultivate meaningful relationships with recruits and their families as well as anyone; if he couldn’t, we wouldn’t routinely see OSU as a finalist for the top players in the country. But clearly something is not connecting with the defensive line recruits like it is with players at other positions.

Ohio State’s apprehension to shell out big bucks for high school players is admirable. Saving that money to invest in keeping the best, most-proven players on campus clearly worked for the Buckeyes last season, but a lot of those guys came to Columbus before the advent of NIL. So you have to wonder how many would have even been on the team in the first place had Ryan Day had to pony up cash to get their commitment initially.

Again, I think the philosophy is laudable, and in a perfect world, that would probably be the way I’d want things to happen. But if you don’t get high-quality talent on campus to begin with, you’re not going to have anyone worth paying to keep in school when the time comes. I’m fine with not getting into an arms race that gives a rising high school senior $5.1 million fully guaranteed, but I do wonder how different things would be if the Buckeyes loosened the purse strings a bit more for the most explosive position on the defensive side of the ball.

The Buckeyes seem to be playing by NIL and revenue-sharing rules that not only is no one else following, but that don’t even really exist to begin with. Of course, we don’t want to see our beloved, saintly program devolve into the depths of moral and ethical degradation as has happened in that cesspool of depravity and licentiousness known as Ann Arbor, but this is Ohio State.

The program has literally every weapon imaginable at its disposal, and while we know that they aren’t going to land every five-star prospect that they get to visit, it would be unfathomable and unforgivable if the administration inside the football program, or the athletic department at large, was handcuffing the coaches by not letting them play (and pay) on equal footing with the other programs around the country.

While I think that Larry Johnson can still go out there and give you a solid six innings, it seems pretty clear to me that he has lost a bit on his fastball, at least from a recruiting perspective. It is unfair to arguably the greatest defensive line coach in the history of college football if Day and/or Bjork aren’t giving him every tool possible to be successful.

LJ has clearly needed a little help in sealing some of his more high-profile deals in recent years, so I hope that the powers that be let him open up the checkbook a little bit more in the most impactful situations.

Mansfield (TX) Lake Ridge five-star offensive tackle Felix Ojo, one of the top prospects in 2026, made a Fourth of July commitment to Texas Tech. The Red Raiders will now be paying him quite well with an unprecendented, fully guaranteed revenue-sharing deal.

Ojo committed to Texas Tech this afternoon over top schools like Texas, Oklahoma, Michigan, Ohio State, and Ole Miss. ESPN’s Eli Lederman reported that the Red Raiders signed Ojo to a fully guaranteed revenue-share deal worth $5.1 million over three years. On3’s Pete Nakos reported more details of the agreement.

Ojo’s guaranteed rev-share amount is roughly half the $5.1 million, according to Nakos, and the contract pays out $775,000 per year over three years. Including incentives and if the deal is renegotiated, the five-star offensive lineman is set to earn $1.2 million in Year 1, $1.6 million in Year 2 and $2.1 million in Year 3. Nakos added Texas Tech softball helped pull the deal off.

This comes a few days after the House v. NCAA settlement took effect around college athletics. Judge Claudia Wilken approved the settlement back on June 6th after nearly five years since the filing of House v. NCAA. That allowed for revenue-sharing, with schools paying athletes directly, beginning earlier this week on July 1st.

Ojo ranks as the No. 6 overall recruit as a five-star prospect in the 2026 cycle. He also rates as the No. 3 OT in the class, behind Jackson Cantwell (No. 1 – Miami) and Immanuel Iheanacho (No. 4 – Oregon). He is also the No. 1 player in the state of Texas, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. Following his July 4th commitment, Ojo becomes Texas Tech’s highest-rated commitment of all time as part of what’s shaping out to be a Top-25 class for the Red Raiders in 2026.

This comes after the spring where Texas Tech became a national player in the NIL and transfer portal landscape. The Red Raiders are coming off of an 8-5 2024 season in Year 3 for head coach Joey McGuire, who signed the No. 1 class in the NCAA Transfer Portal, according to On3. Eight of their 21 portal additions this offseason ranked in the Top-100 of On3’s 2025 Top Transfer Portal Players. Expectations are now becoming more real for the program down in the Big 12, especially if they can capitalize on this season after recruiting success both in the portal and in high school.

For today, though, Texas Tech can enjoy what is the commitment of their highest-ranked recruit in school history. Ojo can celebrate as well with his recruitment ending in what’s reportedly a very large, guaranteed deal for him ahead of his collegiate career in Lubbock.

Syracuse basketball might have an additional regular-season game in the 2026-27 season.

CBS Sports senior writer Matt Norlander, among others, recently reported that the NCAA Division I Council has approved an increase from 31 to 32 contests beginning in 2026-27. Fun.

Norlander points out that college teams don’t have to play 32 encounters, but they will have the option to do so. My assumption is that this extra game would be of the non-conference variety, rather than a league affair.

As I’ve discussed in several recent columns, Atlantic Coast Conference officials for the 2025-26 season decided to increase the number of non-conference games for its members, from 11 to 13, while lowering the numer of conference clashes, from 20 to 18.

The reasoning behind this is to, hopefully, enable ACC schools to schedule more high-profile non-conference contests. Now, in 2026-27, Syracuse basketball could end up with 14 non-conference games, before the ACC Tournament and possible NCAA Tournament or NIT participation.

One of the main facets of the decision to expand to 32 regular-season games centers around multi-team events (“MTEs”). For example, this November, the Orange will suit up in the NIL-driven Players Era Festival in Las Vegas, and the ‘Cuse is expected to have three games there.

With the extra regular-season game, an MTE such as the Players Era Festival could grow from three to four contests for each participant. Or, Syracuse basketball could look to schedule an enticing neutral-site affair before ACC play begins, or even amid conference competition in January or February.

My top candidates to face Syracuse basketball in the extra 2026-27 non-conference game.

Big East flavor
An obvious choice would be to link up with a former Big East Conference foe. At the top of my list would be Rick Pitino-led St. John’s, followed by UConn and then Villanova.

The American and the Atlantic 10
Memphis out of the American Athletic Conference would be cool, or perhaps a talented Atlantic 10 Conference group such as VCU or George Mason, which is in my hometown DMV.

Lots of Big 12 options
The Big 12 Conference is loaded with powerhouse programs, such as Houston, Kansas, Arizona, Iowa State, Baylor and BYU, but let’s look at a match-up with Utah, whose roster includes former Syracuse basketball guard Elijah Moore.

Sparty or the Terps
In the Big Ten Conference, I’m such a huge fan of Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo, so a battle with the Spartans could be awesome. Personally, I’d love to see the Orange play my hometown Maryland Terrapins, which is now led by former Marquette, Virginia Tech and Texas A&M head coach Buzz Williams.

The loaded SEC
The Southeastern Conference had a historic 2024-25, with Auburn making the Final Four, and Florida cutting down the nets. Syracuse basketball playing either of those schools is enticing, or how about Alabama, which is led by former Buffalo boss Nate Oats, or Kentucky, where former ‘Cuse star Jason Hart is an assistant coach?

West Coast elite
If we’re looking at the West Coast Conference, the cream of the crop entails Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s. Either would prove a juicy match-up. Syracuse basketball has played Gonzaga just three times, and I don’t believe the Orange has ever squared off with Saint Mary’s.

The offseason rolls on, as does the evaluation of the current rosters for the 2025-2026 season. Through those evaluations, we can draw many conclusions about how well or poorly a team will perform this season based on their offseason acquisitions. It has allowed me to provide an offseason grade to all of the teams I have evaluated so far. 

Last week, I provided the offseason grades for the Big East conference. This week, let’s dive into another conference with rabid fan bases and premier talent. The Atlantic 10 conference boasts some of the best fan bases in all of college sports, and outside of the last decade, it was one of the premier conferences in the country. The league has some of the most historic teams in the country and usually sends multiple teams to the NCAA Tournament. 

The Atlantic 10 isn’t a mid-major conference that is just happy to be in the NCAA Tournament either. The league usually performs well when playing in the event. The league consistently produces players drafted, and numerous Atlantic 10 players are currently on NBA rosters. The league is continually improving and is poised to have multiple teams qualify for the NCAA Tournament this season.

To clarify a few things, an A grade doesn’t necessarily mean the team will be great. It just means that the team had an offseason that allowed them to meet their needs. Just like an F rating doesn’t necessarily mean the team will be bad, just that they didn’t do an excellent job of fixing the holes in their roster or getting better. Who had the best offseason in the Atlantic 10?

Davidson Wildcats

Davidson did have a winning season last year for the first time under head coach Matt McKillop. The talent that appeared to be returning was elite, enough for the Wildcats to be considered one of the top contenders in the league in the preseason. Unfortunately, Davidson lost a significant amount of talent in the transfer portal, and the roster is now a shell of its former self. As a result, the Wildcats appear more like a .500 team than a league favorite.

Even with a worse roster, at least on paper, the Wildcats have two guys who have an extremely high ceiling. RJ Greer is a top freshman who is poised to have a significant impact on Davidson this year. Finally, Parker Friedrichsen is a transfer from Wake Forest who can shoot and has an Atlantic 10 Player of the Year ceiling. Josh Scovens is a transfer from Army who is an elite scorer. The depth is still an issue for me.

Overall Grade: C

Dayton Flyers

The Dayton program has consistently been the one team to attract top-notch talent every year in the Atlantic 10. The Flyers have lost a significant number of players to the transfer portal over the last two offseasons. Still, coach Grant has done a fantastic job of rebuilding the roster and mitigating the losses incurred through the portal. Expectations will be in place again in 2025-2026.

Coach Grant filled the roster with a wealth of shooting talent and players who have led their teams in scoring at some point in their careers. Jordan Derkack had a tough season last year at Rutgers, but was the NEC Player of the Year two seasons ago. De’Shayne Montgomery is an elite scorer who can score from all three levels. Bryce Heard has a high ceiling and was a highly recruited player coming out of high school two seasons ago.

Overall Grade: A

Duquesne Dukes

The first year under Dru Joyce gave us all a glimpse of how Coach Joyce envisioned the team playing. Duquesne played slow and had one of the best defenses in the country, The Dukes had athletes all over the floor and had players who offered a lot of positional flexibility but didn’t have much height and playing the style that coach Joyce wants to play, size is going to be beneficial and will only help them win games. They added a lot of height in the transfer portal.

Duquesne did lose its top scorer and point guard to the transfer portal. The Dukes do have Maximus Edwards returning and added a talented, efficient scoring freshman guard in Arness Lawson. John Hugley IV is one of the oldest players in college basketball and is the best offensive player for the Dukes. Coach Joyce will be able to put Hugley in a lot of different sets, and he will likely score. Hugley IV has had success at the Power Five level throughout his entire career before arriving in the Atlantic 10.

Overall Grade: A

Fordham Rams

Keith Urgo is out, and Mike Magpayo is in, and that will be good for the Rams and all the fans in Rose Hill. Magpayo plays fast and has his teams shoot a lot of threes; that style is easy to recruit to. Fordham is in the Bronx; they already have a ton of talent in their backyard, and if Magpayo starts winning, the Rams could be the next Atlantic 10 team to start a turnaround.

Fordham built the roster using all transfers, which has had mixed results over the years. Jace Howard is a transfer from Michigan, boasting a high offensive ceiling and likely the most talented offensive player for the Rams. He should be a top-level all-conference player under Magpayo. Louis Lesmond has extensive experience from Harvard and is a skilled three-point shooter.

Overall Grade: C

George Mason Patriots

Tony Skinn is well on his way to bringing the Patriots back to the level they were under Jim Larranaga, and right now, he is on pace to be better. George Mason won a share of the Atlantic 10 regular season and has a lot of momentum heading into the 2025-2026 season. They open as one of the favorites because coach Skinn is elite at recruiting to his efficient offense and smothering defense style. The Patriots have a wealth of talent and have built a significant amount of depth through the transfer portal.

Coach Skinn outrecruited Georgetown and Maryland for 4-star freshman Emmanuel Kanga. He will make a tremendous impact on both sides of the floor. Kory Mincy and Riley Allenspach are both elite scorers. Dola Adebayo plays great post defense and will likely be a fan favorite among George Mason fans. Coach Skinn can play 10 guys with this roster.

Overall Grade: A+

George Washington Revolutionaries

The Revs advanced to the College Basketball Crown last season, marking a significant step forward for the program under head coach Chris Caputo. Caputo has done a great job evaluating and developing talent to the extent that all of his top players are leaving for other schools through the transfer portal. That leaves George Washington to start over almost every season.

Caputo hit a home run in the transfer portal this year and has a lot of guys who can do a lot on both ends of the floor. Jean Aranguren is one of the top point guards in the Atlantic 10 and is expected to lead the Revolutionaries in scoring. Luke Hunger is a load underneath the basket and should thrive after his transfer from Northwestern. Bubu Benjamin is one of the better two-way players in mid-major ranks and offers a ton of positional flexibility. Caputo has a solid class for a team trending in the right direction.

Overall Grade: B

La Salle Explorers

It is the first season for head coach Darris Nichols in Philadelphia. This season may be a challenge, given that the majority of the roster has departed and the team will be brand new. Nichols is a good coach and will be able to recruit good players to Philadelphia, but the first few seasons may be a struggle.

Coach Nichols assembled the roster quickly, and it is full of low-major transfers who are transferring up a level. The players all have experience and have had varying degrees of success at their old schools. Jerome Brewer from McNeese and Marcus Randolph from Saint Peter’s are the best players in the class. There isn’t much depth, and the overall talent is lacking compared to the rest of the league. The Explorers are in a full-on rebuild.

Overall Grade: D

Loyola Ramblers

The Ramblers, outside of Dayton, are one of the few true mid-major programs that consistently bring in quality talent every year. If you don’t believe that, just look at where the players the Ramblers have lost in the transfer portal have ended up. They are losing players to Kansas and acquiring players from NCAA Tournament teams and Power Five schools.

Coach Drew Valentine brought in a top-notch class full of high-quality transfers and two fantastic freshmen, led by 4-star Chuck Love III. Love is the son of a coach and chose Loyola over Illinois and Missouri. Joshua Ola-Joseph and Deywilk Tavarez lead the transfer class. Ola-Joseph is an elite rebounder and finisher around the rim. Tavarez is a great shooter and can put up points quickly.

Overall Grade: A+

Rhode Island Rams

The Rams have struggled to put it all together under head coach Archie Miller, but Rhode Island is coming off its first winning season under Miller, and the hope is that the Rams are trending up. Rhode Island lost a significant amount of talent from the team a season ago. The good eligible players have transferred, and the others have graduated. That leaves the roster with some question marks heading into the season.

The transfer class is a mixed bag, but it does have a star in the ranks in Tyler Cochran from Minnesota. Cochran averaged 15 points last season for Minnesota and will easily lead Rhode Island in scoring. The rest of the commitments have some serviceable role players who should make an impact. The impact is to be determined. The Rams lost more than they gained in the offseason.

Overall Grade: C-

Richmond Spiders

The 2024-2025 season did not go according to plan for the Spiders or coach Chris Mooney. Richmond won 10 games a year after making the NCAA Tournament. The roster was not nearly good enough, and depth was a huge problem. Many of the players underachieved, and injuries derailed the season. Many of the players are returning from last year and have not entered the transfer portal. That is already a big win for Coach Mooney.

The goal was clear for Richmond: go out and acquire more scoring and improve the depth. Coach Mooney completed that goal and got two players who can score and are fantastic shooters. Jaden Daughtry from Indiana State shot 40% from deep last year. The other star transfer, Will Johnston, has been playing college basketball for a long time and will shoot around 36% from deep. If the returning players step up their level of play, it could be a good year in Richmond.

Overall Grade: A

Saint Louis Billikens

Josh Schertz was hired at Saint Louis to turn the team into an Atlantic 10 powerhouse, and he will likely do just that. The Billikens finished in the middle of the pack last year, with a roster constructed quickly by Coach Schertz in the offseason. Heading into the 2025-2026 season, Saint Louis has a solid core of returning players and has bolstered it significantly with the addition of freshman commits and transfers from the transfer portal.

Saint Louis loves players who offer positional flexibility and enjoy shooting threes. Jax Kerr is the incoming freshman to watch for. He is the ceiling of an elite scorer and elite shot blocker. Reminds me a lot of Robbie Avila. 

Paul Otieno is a double-double machine and one of the best rebounders in the country. Otieno leads the transfer class along with elite shooters Brady Dunlap from St. John’s and Dion Brown from Boston College. Saint Louis is an excellent team on paper this season.

Overall Grade: A+

Saint Joseph’s Hawks

The Hawks made the NIT last year, but then promptly lost their best player to the transfer portal. They also saw their big man get drafted by the Phoenix Suns 31st overall. Saint Joseph’s has never had a problem getting talent in Philadelphia. They are one of the most historic programs in the sport and are arguably the best program in Philadelphia. That fact isn’t lost on the players in the transfer portal, and it allowed head coach Billy Lange to secure some high-quality transfers.

The problem with the Hawks’ class is that they are unproven and inexperienced. Deuce Jones from La Salle had the best year of all the transfers. Jones is only entering his sophomore year. Jaiden Glover is the player with the highest ceiling, but he didn’t play much at St. John’s before heading to Saint Joseph’s. The class has the potential to be very good, but there are too many question marks right now.

Overall Grade: C

VCU Rams

VCU made the NCAA Tournament again last year and saw their coach, Ryan Odom, leave for the University of Virginia. The Rams hired Phil Martelli Jr., and the hope is that the new coach will maintain the same level of recruiting and keep VCU at the top. Martelli excels at recruiting players who fit his style and is one of the most exciting young coaches in the game.

VCU is going to play fast and shoot a lot of threes. The style is easy to recruit to, and with the history behind VCU, the Rams will have no trouble getting quality players. Nyk Lewis is one of the best point guard recruits in the country. He loves to get out in transition and play at a fast pace. He can shoot and will make sure everyone gets involved. Lewis is my pick for league freshman of the year.

The transfer portal is full of talent, including Jadrian Tracey, who played a good number of minutes at Oregon last year. Keyshawn Mitchell and Barry Evans played for Martelli at Bryant and are familiar with his playing style. Ahmad Nowell, a sophomore point guard from UConn, also shares a similar approach, prioritizing fast-paced play and distributing the ball effectively. Martelli has a fantastic class after getting hired in March.

Overall Grade: A+

The Atlantic 10 looks to be a competitive conference this year, and based on the offseason, there is a clear top 4 on paper. Games must still be played for the 2025-2026 season, but the most talented teams stand out like a sore thumb. Just remember, because your team didn’t receive an A grade, it doesn’t mean that they will be bad; it just means they didn’t meet their objectives in the offseason and will have to hope that the players develop.

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