Sun Devils secure highest-ever recruit in five-star Jayden Quaintance

(Photo Courtesy of Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

In what is now officially Arizona State Men’s Basketball’s biggest-ever recruiting win, 5-star class of 2024 center Jayden Quaintance has announced his signing with ASU. The blue-chip 6-foot-9-inch center had been committed to Kentucky since November of 2023.

Following legendary head coach John Calipari’s departure from the Wildcats for Arkansas, Quaintance reopened his recruitment on April 10, 2024. After visiting Louisville and Memphis along with ASU he announced on April 29 that he had chosen head coach Bobby Hurley and his program in Tempe to begin his collegiate career.

Quaintance’s father told 247Sports that the conversation between Hurley and the recruit and his family was what drove the commitment.

The McDonald’s All-American is the most highly-touted recruit (with a 0.9970 247Sports composite grade) since guard Josh Christopher (0.9967) in 2020. The Word of God Christian Academy player out of Raleigh N.C., is the No. 8 overall recruit, No. 2 ranked center, and No. 1 prospect out of North Carolina, in the class of 2024.

Adam Finkelstein, the 247Sports Director of Scouting, reports that Quaintance is a rangy center (7-foot-3 plus wingspan) with an extremely high athletic upside. He’s shown to be a dangerous threat in lob and put-back or tip scenarios and can attack the basket off the dribble. Finkelstein also believes he has the “natural touch” to develop effective shooting range that would make him a mismatch nightmare for opposing bigs if he’s able to pop or roll with equal propensity out of pick-and-roll actions.

The Raleigh native is the second-highest overall ranked incoming recruit into the Big 12 conference — ASU’s future home starting next season — for 2024-25 behind guard VJ Edgecombe who’s the No. 5 overall recruit and will be joining Baylor.

ASU now sits at No. 6 in the entire country in team recruiting rankings for 2024 on 247 sports and is the second highest-rated Big 12 program behind Arizona. In the overall team rankings, which combine both incoming recruits and transfers, the Sun Devils are No. 14 in the country and one of four Big 12 schools represented in the top 15.

The major question mark regarding ASU’s new marquee recruit is his age. Quaintance at the time of his commitment is only 16 years old and is expected to join the team this summer following his 17th birthday per Chris Karpman of 247sports. According to NBA draft eligibility rules under the current collective bargaining agreement,”all potential draft prospects must be at least 19 years old during the calendar year of the draft to enter their name into the pool.”

After reclassifying up a year to the 2024 cycle, Quaintance will complete his freshman year in 2025 but will be required to wait another year before entering in 2026 where Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, says he is a potential lottery pick.

This means that Sun Devil fans may be able to watch their most promising prospect in school history for two seasons as opposed to the customary one-and-done. Now where he decides to play his second year remains to be seen and in today’s era of a rampant transfer portal, it’s impossible to know if he will stay in Tempe for 2025-26. As of now, Quaintance can help ASU bridge the gap in their initial foray into the ultra-competitive Big 12 basketball conference this upcoming season.