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Ranking the Contenders: Alex Fudge

Possessing one of the highest ceilings of any forward prospect in the 2021 class, there are not many more priority recruits throughout the southeast than Alex Fudge. Bursting on the scene last summer at the NCAA Regional Camp in July, Fudge has cemented his placement as one of the best nationally.

Fudge is not in much of a rush to commit. In the meantime, schools continue to vie for the favorite label with the game-changing force in the frontcourt.

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EVANS: Seven players on commitment watch

2021 Rankings: Rivals150 | Position

2022 Rankings: Top 75

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1. FLORIDA

The Gators have done an admirable job recently keeping the best talent within its state. With a need for an athletic forward, Fudge comes of age at the perfect time. Florida might not be the leader all by itself, but it is definitely one of the few to beat with the Jacksonville native. Florida sophomore Omar Payne is a former travel program teammate.

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2. LSU

Will Wade has had no issues recruiting the state of Florida. After beating the Gators for Emmitt Williams and Darius Days two years ago, LSU is hoping to pull off the W again with Fudge. The Tigers still have questions to answer this summer as to whether Williams, Day and/or Trendon Watford will return for another year. The latter two are likely which would make only make the chances even less likely that they would return the following year. If that is the case, LSU will have a bigger need for someone in Fudge’s mold, which is why Wade is back on the prowl in the Sunshine State.

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3. ALABAMA

Alabama will lose seniors Herb Jones, Alex Reese and Jordan Bruner, and it has no 2021 commitments to date. The Tide need to get rolling so that they can feel comfortable with the long-term in mind. They have thrown out more than enough offers but a select few have become priorities for Nate Oats, which includes Fudge. They are in catch-up mode so more work is needed before we discuss the Tide as a favorite.

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4. TEXAS

Slated to lose a load of talent from its roster after the season due to graduation, especially in the frontcourt, Fudge, or at least someone like him, is a definite must. Toss in the fact that Greg Brown will play just one season in Austin before advancing his career to the NBA and what appears is a giant hole in the frontcourt that must be filled by a talented, versatile and athletic forward that is exactly what Fudge is. Drawing him from the East Coast will not be easy. While UT has already landed Keeyan Itejere, he comes more in the developmental mode, which makes Fudge one of Texas’ top targets for the remainder of the summer.

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5. USC

The Trojans were likely to bring Fudge to campus for an official visit earlier this year before the pandemic halted in-person recruiting. At the very least, it is a sign that there is mutual interest between program and prospect and an actual chance that Fudge might leave Jacksonville for the Pac-12.

Thanks to the presence of Chris Capko on staff, USC has made the state of Florida a priority in recent years. Fudge is one of the best from it and with the Trojans likely to lose both the Mobley brothers and Chevez Goodwin after the season, a forward like Fudge is a must, as long as USC wants to remain in the fight for a spot for future NCAA Tournament appearances.

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6. GEORGIA

Georgia will lose just three players from its roster after the season. After hitting the high school ranks hard a year ago, Tom Crean primarily went the transfer and junior college route in constructing his roster so that he could have greater experience to lean on.

He may now trend back towards the high school platform, which has made Fudge one of his few priorities in the 2021 class. The Bulldogs need to make up some ground but are under consideration. Crean would love nothing more than to throw Fudge into his frontcourt and speed up the game like he has become accustomed to doing.

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