No. 8 recruit Babatunde Oladotun stays home, picks Maryland

Top-10 Senior Babatunde Oladotun committed to maryland On Wednesday, coach Buzz Williams was named his first five-star recruit in nearly a decade.

Oladotun chooses Terrapins over local rival george town And arkansas During a recruitment it appeared that the leaders had been changed several times over the past few weeks. He has since become Maryland’s first five-star recruit. derrick queen In the 2024 class and Williams’ first since Nichelle Alexander-Walker committed to Virginia Tech When Williams was at Blacksburg in the class of 2017.

“I had a great relationship with Buzz Williams and the staff,” Oladotun said. “Coach Buzz is a realist. At times, he’s going to be raw. He’s going to make you work hard, break you down and build you up. He’s developed players like jimmy butler And jay crowder,

Oladotun, who attends James Hubert Blake High School in Silver Spring, Maryland, has two sisters who currently attend Maryland, and his coach is former Maryland star and NBA veteran. walt williams,

“Staying at home has a different effect,” Oladotun said. “The school is only 20 minutes away. I’m a guy from a big family. I’m a local athlete and I get the chance to represent my home school. When the new staff got the job, they were immediately on board. When I took classes again, they recruited me even more strongly.”

Oladotun, a 6-foot-10 forward, was the No. 1 recruit in the 2027 class before being reclassified to the 2026 class in August. He is now eighth overall sc next 100 and ranks as the No. 3 power forward in the country.

Oladotun averaged 13.2 points and 5.8 rebounds on the Nike EBYL circuit last spring and summer, playing three games on the 16U circuit before moving up to the 17U team Durant. As the season progressed, he began to play consistently and scored 28 points against Team Hero and 20 points against Team Takeover in July.

At 16 years old, Oladotun has impressive shotmaking talent and defensive ability. His archetype is that of a rim runner, but his advanced metrics show he is a versatile wing with a switchable defender and high net scoring skills. He contributes offensively as a shooter and scorer as well as a finisher with length and touch around the rim.

Maryland enters early signing period with SC Next 100 guards No. 19 recruiting class in the country Caden House (No. 47) and four-star forward austin brown And Adama Tambedou Already in the fold. House is a big scorer who should form a dynamic freshman tandem with Oladotun in College Park next season.