Kim English is certainly aiming high when it comes to recruiting the class of 2026.
The Friars recently welcomed both Abdou Toure and Ryan Mela on official visits, and PC is set for two more impact visitors later this month.
English recently met with Caleb Holt (the fifth-ranked player in the class of 2026 according to 247 Sports), and word broke on Wednesday that Holt will take an official visit to PC on Sept. 19. The news was broken by 247 Sports Recruiting Analyst Dushawn London.
The competition will obviously be stiff for a player considered by many to be the best shooting guard in the class of 2026. He will soon visit Alabama, and is expected to also visit Kentucky and Houston. While it would be a considerable upset if Providence were to land Holt, Travis Branham noted earlier today that the Friars are building momentum.
Branham wrote, “The Friars have emerged as a surprising and intriguing team to watch for Holt… According to my sources, Providence is a real factor here and could prove to be a real contender as they’re in the midst of a strong push for Holt.”
Providence will also get a visit this month from Lawrence Academy wing Alex Egbuonu. The powerful forward from New England is coming off of a tremendous showing at the Adidas All American Camp — taking home Offensive MVP honors.
Marquette has been all over Egbuonu this summer, and a source shared that Shaka Smart was at Lawrence Academy’s campus as recently as last week. Egbuonu recently cut Florida State and Georgetown from his list of potential visits. The Hoyas may be on the verge of another commitment in the class of 2026 who plays the same position as Egbuonu. Auburn, Boston College, and Stanford are other schools Egbuonu said he will visit in a recent interview. The top 75 prospect is looking to make a November commitment.
Egbuonu’s BABC teammate Abdou Toure is a top 40 wing in the class of 2026 who visited Providence recently. The Connecticut native has a healthy list of schools still in pursuit, including Arkansas (where he’ll visit shortly), UConn, Oregon, Louisville, Maryland, and Florida State. Dan Hurley was in to visit him last week. Toure is expected to make a decision this fall.
Toure visited the same weekend as 2026 point guard Ryan Moesch of Cushing Academy and Middlesex Magic. Ranked 137th in the class of 2026 by 247 Sports and just outside of the top 200 by On3.com, Moesch has an interesting decision ahead of him this fall. The Friars are the only high major program to offer him a scholarship, so he’ll likely weigh the potential of making a bigger early impact at a mid-major school versus committing to the Friars. That’s not to say Moesch could not contribute as a freshman at PC, but in today’s landscape players are evaluating their year-to-year value more carefully than ever.
Of course, the interesting caveat with high school recruiting is that there really aren’t any “must gets” in the current state of college basketball. The portal has changed everything (as has NIL). Swinging for the fences and missing isn’t the catastrophe it was back when Providence struck out on the likes of Donovan Mitchell and Wenyen Gabriel and couldn’t pivot to comparable players.
With these high-level recruits, Providence has much to gain, but not as much to lose with the transfer portal offering ready-made college players in the spring.