No. 8 recruit Babatunde Oladotun stays home, picks Maryland

Top 10 seniors Babatunde Oladotun committed to Maryland on Wednesday, giving coach Buzz Williams his first five-star recruit in nearly a decade.

Oladotun chose Terrapins over local rival Georgetown And Arkansas during a recruitment drive that appears to have changed leaders several times over the last couple of weeks. He becomes Maryland's first five-star recruit since then. Derick Queen in the class of 2024 and Williams' first since then Nickeil Alexander-Walker committed to Virginia Tech when Williams was in Blacksburg in the 2017 class.

“My relationship with Buzz Williams and the staff has been great,” Oladotun said. “Coach Buzz is a realist. Sometimes he will act rudely. It will put a lot of pressure on you, break you and strengthen you. It has players like Jimmy Butler And Jae Crowder“

Oladotun, who attends James Hubert Blake High School in Silver Spring, Maryland, has two sisters currently attending Maryland and his coach is a former Maryland star and NBA veteran. Walt Williams.

“Staying home is a whole different ballgame,” Oladotun said. “The school is only 20 minutes away. I'm a big family man. I am a local player and have the chance to represent my home school. When new employees got jobs, they immediately contacted us. When I moved up the class, they hired me even harder.”

A 6-foot-10 forward, Oladotun was the No. 1 recruit in the 2027 class before being reclassified to the 2026 class in August. He is currently number eight overall. SK Next 100 and is considered 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 Team Durant's 17U squad. As the season progressed, he began to play more consistently, scoring 28 points against Team Herro and 20 points against Team Takeover in July.

At just 16 years old, Oladotun has impressive shooting talent and strong defensive capabilities. His archetype is a rim runner, but his advanced stats suggest he is a switch defender and versatile forward with high scoring prowess. He contributes offensively as a shooter and scorer, as well as a scorer with length and touch at the rim.

Maryland entered the early signing period with the No. 19 recruiting class in the country with an SC Next 100 cornerback. Caden House (No. 47) and four-star forwards Austin Brown And Adama Tambedou already in service. House is a standout scorer who should form a dynamic freshman tandem with Oladotun in College Park next season.