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Good morning everyone! Try not to feel too old with today’s first headline. Let’s get to it.

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1. Five-star NaVorro Bowman Jr. chooses UConn

If you could make a Dan Hurley point guard in a lab, the end result would come pretty close to the skillset of NaVorro Bowman Jr.

And the five-star prospect officially decided to become a Husky on Thursday to kick off UConn’s 2027 recruiting class.

Bowman Jr. is the son of former NFL star linebacker NaVorro Bowman, who was named First Team All-Pro four times. Like his father, Bowman Jr. has elite athletic tools, including a quick burst off the bounce.

Over the summer for Team WhyNot on the EYBL circuit, Bowman Jr. averaged 20.5 ppg, 3.6 apg and 1.6 stls. He’ll be playing his senior season at Notre Dame Sherman Oaks in LA.

“NaVorro is an elite competitor with a high-level offensive skill set and an impeccable ability to guard the ball,” Sherman Oaks coach Matthew Sargeant told The Field of 68. “NaVorro cares about winning more than anything else, and his ability to impact winning with or without the ball, and on both ends makes him the kind of player that can play right away in college.

“Coach Hurley’s system relies on players with high IQ’s, versatile offensive ability and extremely unselfish competitiveness — and NaVorro represents all of those qualities,” Sargeant continued. “I expect NaVorro to be successful as a college player from the get go, and coach Hurley will get him ready for a long career after college.”

Before committing to UConn, Bowman Jr. had visits scheduled to Arizona, Illinois and Texas. Those programs will have to pivot to other 2027 targets. It’s also notable 2027 guards Cayden Daughtry, King Gibson and Micah Gordon will no longer be visiting Storrs.

The Huskies got their guy at point guard, and a great one at that. Bowman’s two-way versatility and competitiveness should match well with Hurley.

Some more recruiting tidbits from Thursday:

• Saint Mary’s picked up 2027 small forward Brennan Blackett. He averaged 14.2 ppg and shot 37.5% from 3 at Peach Jam with the Utah Prospects.

• Eastern Michigan landed its second 2027 three-star commit in as many days in guard Brodrick Wyatt.

• Portland State signed Greek forward Alexandros Skliros.

• The No. 1 player in the 2027 class via On3, CJ Rosser, named a top seven schools, and so did five-star guard Adan Diggs.

• Four-star guard Payton Jones will announce his college decision today at 2 p.m. ET. He’s deciding between Cincinnati, Clemson, Maryland and Oklahoma State. 

2. BYU’s center shuffle

It was quite the day for the outlook of BYU’s center position.

Around noon, it was reported that the Cougars’ international addition and Polish big man Jakub Urbaniak would be returning to Europe and wouldn’t be part of BYU’s 2026-27 roster.

Not too long after, BYU already had a replacement: 7-foot-1 Serbian big man Petar Ostojic.

Urbaniak was expected to possibly be the starting five-man next to fifth-year transfer big man Jaxon Kohler, or one of the first bigs off the bench for the Cougars. Now, Ostojic will likely be the backup big option.

Ostojic, the 19-year-old Serbian, averaged 10.3 ppg and 5.3 rpg at last summer’s FIBA U18 Eurobasket tournament. He spent time across three different Serbian Leagues during the 2025-26 season, including in Serbia’s KLS with KK Dynamic. He’s still raw as a prospect.

As it stands, BYU’s frontcourt includes Kohler, Ostojic and returner Khadim Mboup. It’s not a group that jumps off the page, especially if Kohler doesn’t remain eligible. But the perimeter of Rob Wright, Collin Chandler and Bruce Branch will be a strength.

3. Plethora of fifth-year commits and news

It’s usually quiet on the news front around this time of year, but it hasn’t slowed down this summer due to the fifth-year eligibility saga.

There were several more updates to know from Thursday. Here’s everything that transpired:

• Temple’s Derrian Ford has been practicing with the team and is on track to suit up for the Owls after receiving an additional season. He led Temple in scoring last year.

• San Jose State signed Georgia Tech fifth-year transfer guard Mekhi Mason (7.4 ppg, 2.6 rpg). He’s named in the Texas case.

• Washington signed fifth-year Nevada guard Tayshawn Comer (11.0 ppg, 3.6 apg). He’s named in the California case that received a TRO.

• St. Thomas announced Kendall Blue will rejoin the program after spending last season at Nebraska. Blue was a Tommie for three seasons.

• Trey Kaufman-Renn entered the transfer portal in pursuit of a sixth season a day after receiving his TRO in Indiana. Rutgers center Emmanuel Ogbole also entered the portal and filed a lawsuit in New York.

• The plaintiffs from the Georgia case that was stayed on Wednesday filed an emergency motion asking the Georgia Court of Appeals to reconsider. Plaintiffs from the Ohio case did the same earlier in the week.

More Bowman

With the commitment of NaVorro Bowman Jr., UConn now has the highest-ranked 2027 commit in the country. What do Jamie Shaw, Joe Tipton and Ani Umana think of the addition? Find out below:

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Links as you prepare for a weekend of football…

• ETSU, Longwood, UC San Diego and Weber State released their non-conference schedules, while Detroit Mercy, Green Bay, Holy Cross, Lamar, Miami Ohio, Stetson, Utah Valley released their full schedules.

• The Jacksonville Classic announced its seven-team field.

• The Horizon League announced its 2026-27 conference schedule.

• The Sunshine Slam game times are set.

• Florida State elevated Justin Linder to assistant coach and added Sam Lagwood as director of video and scouting.

• Washington hired former Syracuse GM Alex Kline as its GM.

• UC Davis announced a few staff additions.

• Green Bay announced a jersey patch sponsorship with Oneida.

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