Utah State transfer Great Osobor, the top player available in the NCAA transfer portal, has committed to Washington, he told ESPN.
Osobor, the Mountain West Conference Player of the Year, has name, image and likeness agreements that will give him the highest known valuation in college basketball this season, at $2 million, according to a document reviewed by ESPN. His NIL deals, which include marketing guarantees, were negotiated by agent George Langberg of GSL Sports.
“I would like to thank God for putting me in this position,” Osobor said. “Washington will allow me to maximize my potential as a player in my final year of college basketball. Coach [Danny] “Sprinkle has been with me every step of the way since I arrived from England and I can't wait to help the Huskies return to the NCAA Tournament.”
Osobor committed to Washington over similar opportunities from Louisville and Texas Tech.
He has one year of college eligibility remaining after spending his first two seasons at Montana State, where he was recruited by new Huskies coach Sprinkle. Osobor followed Sprinkle to Utah State and now to Washington.
“It is a blessing to be in the position I am in now and I hope to use my platform to proudly represent my family and be a role model for my two younger sisters,” Osobor said.
Osobor, a 6-foot-8 big man from England, averaged 17.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.3 steals per game last season while helping Utah State win the Mountain West regular-season championship and get an at- great bid for the NCAA tournament. Utah State beat TCU in the first round before losing to eventual national championship runner-up Purdue.
Osobor's lucrative NIL rating represents a sea change in college sports, where top returning players or transfer portal recruits now receive offers exceeding $1 million. That's especially the case for versatile, experienced frontcourt players like Osobor, who are hard to come by.
Osobor, whose father is a taxi driver and mother is a caregiver for elderly clients, will have the opportunity to earn life-changing money in his final year of college eligibility despite arriving in the United States with little fanfare and spending his first two seasons coming . off the bench in the Big Sky Conference.
“He wasn't a highly recruited player coming out of England, with only a few Division I offers,” Osobor said. “Assistant coach Chris Haslam played a huge role in recruiting me to Montana State, and I owe him a lot for that. I'm more motivated than ever to show young kids that it doesn't matter where you come from. If you do your part, then of the necessary work and sacrifice, your time will come.”
Osobor joins a talented group of incoming freshmen and transfer portal recruits for Washington that includes five-star point guard Zoom Diallo, four-star guard Jase Butler and transfers Mekhi Mason (Rice), DJ Davis ( Butler), Luis Kortright (Rhode Island). ), Franck Kepnang (Oregon) and Tyler Harris (Portland).
Jonathan Givony is an NBA draft expert and founder and co-owner of DraftExpress.com, a private scouting and analysis service used by the NBA, NCAA and international teams.
