Five-star forward releases final four schools

The 6-foot-8, 200-pound forward could be considered FSU's top priority in the 2022 class.

Jacob Stevens | Sep 29, 2021

On Wednesday afternoon, one of the top prospects in the country in five-star Julian Philips trimmed his list down to four schools. FSU, LSU, Tennessee, and USC, eliminating Virginia, Florida, Kansas, Alabama, UCLA, and Clemson.

Philips is a 6-foot-8, 200-pound forward that has very few weaknesses in his game, he can shoot the ball from 3, get his teammates open as the floor general, finish through contact with his amazing athleticism, and arguably the strongest part of his game is his defense. Philips is a guy that can guard the 1-4, sometimes even the 1-5 he has great defensive IQ, helping him get set up in help defense, get in the passing lane, and get steals plus blocking shots.

Let’s talk about the schools that made the cut.

Tennessee

the Vols recently had Philips on campus for an official visit this past weekend. The Tennessee staff is on him hard. They are trying to do everything they possibly can to land him. Philips had this to say about the visit.

“How close the team is at Tennessee really stood out to me, from the seniors down to the freshman everyone is like family.”

USC

The Trojans had the South Carolina native on a visit two weekends ago and Philips seemed to have a very good time.

“My time at USC was great," Philips said. "The fam is very locked in and focused on getting better. One of the coolest things was the environment at the football game, it was wild.”

LSU

The Tigers were one of the teams that got a visit in fall and one of the teams that have been recruiting Philips the longest. LSU is seen as the last option but never count out Will Wade.

“It was good," Philips said. "Coach Wade and that staff are real nice, the facilities are nice and the campus was beautiful. I really enjoyed the visit I'm glad I came down here.”

Florida State

Lastly, the 'Noles. FSU has been in this one for about 2 years now. The staff had him on a visit in the fall and they really want Julian. They think he could be a top 5 pick after going through their system. The staff was even in yesterday, Tuesday, September 28th to see him in person.

“The draft success speaks for itself," Philips said. "They know how to get guys at my position to the league. Coach Steve Smith compares me to Jonathan Isaac, a long lengthy athletic guy that can guard multiple positions. The visit in Tallahassee really impressed me, the culture down here is amazing”

Julian would like to announce his decision before the early signing period. No one knows anything really and it wouldn’t surprise me if he ended up at either one of the 4 schools.

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Published Sep 29, 2021

JACOB STEVENS

Basketball and recruiting writer