While the high school season doesn’t begin until after Thanksgiving, some of the top recruits in the region will still be very busy over the next few months.
Why? The time between the summer and school season allows players from the Class of 2025 the flexibility to make their official college visits as they inch closer to making their college decisions. Typically, the top-end talent is traveling around the country to several high-major programs.
Some of the best recruits from New England in the 2025 class, like Jaylen Harrell (Providence) and Ryan Altman (Penn) have already made their college decisions. But the majority of boys players from the region are using these next several months to make visits, narrow down their potential destinations and talk through it all with their families as they ultimately make the most important decision of their young lives.
As the calendar turns to September and a busy fall ahead, here is where six of the top uncommitted boys prospects in the 2025 class from New England stand in their recruiting process.
Ben Ahmed
Putnam Science/BABC, 6-10 center
Hometown: Kaduna, Nigeria
We caught up with Ahmed earlier this month in a wide-ranging Q&A in which he discussed why he reclassified from 2026 to 2025, and he felt like he was in a good place in his recruitment. He has an Oct. 25 visit to Georgia Tech scheduled, he was trying to nail down dates for Boston College and Xavier, and there were several new schools recruiting him, including Cincinnati and Miami. Ahmed is one of the best bigs nationally in this class, and he knows what he wants in his college basketball destination.
“I would say style of play because I’m a traditional big, so I have to go to a team where they play through the five,” Ahmed said. “And just the minutes. I know that I’m a freshman, I’m not saying the whole game, but I’m here to play basketball, I just want to play basketball, so I just want the chance to be on the floor and just play basketball.”
Dwayne Aristode
Brewster Academy EYBL/Expressions Elite, 6-8 wing
Hometown: Amsterdam, Netherlands
In the midst of a strong summer with Expressions on the Nike circuit, Aristode already made time for unofficial visits to Arizona and Wake Forest. The wing – ranked No. 22 by ESPN in the 2025 class – is on a visit to Michigan State this weekend and has September visits planned to USC and Duke before he heads back to New Hampshire to get ready for his second and final season with Brewster. He’ll look to finish on a strong note after a finger injury forced him to miss a chunk of last season.
AJ Dybantsa
Utah Prep/Oakland Soldiers, 6-9 wing
Hometown: Brockton, Mass.
Even during a hectic summer – which has included the FIBA U17 World Cup, Peach Jam and a recent trip to China – Dybantsa has made time to return home and give back to his community. The No. 1 recruit in the country was back in Brockton and then the Gallivan Community Center in Mattapan for two nights last week to give away backpacks and toys and take some photos with some youngsters. A week later, Dybantsa had to quickly turn his attention to what will be the most anticipated college decision this year.
Dybantsa kicked off his official college visits with Kansas State this weekend before he heads to Kansas, North Carolina, Alabama, Baylor and BYU over the next six weeks. He already visited Auburn, the seventh school on his final list, back in March. A final decision is expected in February. A frontrunner is not certain at this stage, but BYU is a speculative sleeper pick: Dybantsa transferred to a prep school in-state, and he values the NBA coaching experience that head coach Kevin Young has as he looks to be one-and-done and ready to play in the NBA at this time next year.
ANALYSIS: AJ Dybantsa narrows his college decision down to 7 schools
“These are the pillars that will define my choice for a program,” Dybantsa told ESPN. “(It needs to be) family-oriented, a winning program, offer development both on the court and in their strength program, and for me to be one-and-done and ready to impact.”
Ryder Frost
Phillips Exeter/Middlesex Magic, 6-6 wing
Hometown: Beverly, Mass.
Frost was one of the biggest stock-risers of the summer as he accumulated more than 25 Division 1 scholarship offers and firmly established himself as a high-major player. He trimmed his list of potential colleges to eight in August, with Wisconsin, Syracuse, Penn State, Michigan, BYU, Iowa, Virginia Tech and Notre Dame making the cut. Frost – one of the best shot-makers in the 2025 class – has already taken visits to Syracuse and Penn State, with the rest – after Iowa this weekend – scheduled for September and October.
London Jemison
St. Thomas More/Expressions Elite, 6-9 forward
Hometown: Bloomfield, Conn.
Jemison – ranked No. 48 by ESPN in the 2025 class – narrowed down his college list to Alabama, Virginia, Vanderbilt, Syracuse, Kansas and Louisville in late July, and has already visited Syracuse and Vanderbilt. According to Zagsblog, Jemison is visiting Kansas this weekend and has visits scheduled for Alabama, Louisville and Virginia in September. Jemison, one of the best shooters in the class, just finished his last season for Expressions that included averaging 14.2 points per game at Peach Jam.
Kelvin Odih
South Kent/Rhode Island Elite, 6-4 guard
Hometown: Providence, R.I.
Odih was another big riser this summer as he continued to rake in college offers and interest, and in early August he cut his list to six schools – West Virginia, Creighton, Colorado, Rutgers, Louisville and Oklahoma State. Odih – a standout performer for Rhode Island Elite on the Puma circuit this summer – has the tools to be an immediate contributor as a college freshman next year, with a relentless motor, elite offensive rebounding skills and emerging offensive game.
