2017 five-star recruit DeAndre Ayton commits to Arizona

Five-star 2017 center DeAndre Ayton shocked the world Tuesday night when he announced he was committing to the University of Arizona on ESPN2.

Ayton, the top player in the class of 2017 in ESPN’s top 100 and 247Sports’ Top 247, was expected to commit to either Kentucky or Kansas by many in recruiting circles.

While many have wondered, throughout his recruitment, if Ayton would skip college and play overseas, he seemingly squashed that rumor in his post-commitment interview, saying, “college is a must”.

It’s impossible to overstate how big of a commitment this is for Arizona. Ayton is seven feet tall and 240 pounds, and makes a giant (pun definitely intended) on both sides of the ball. Additionally, Ayton is the first #1 overall player to commit to the Pac-12 since Kevin Love, and the first in Arizona history.

Sean Miller has been excellent at recruiting guards, especially in the past couple years, a it always felt like a dominant big man was the missing piece on the past few Arizona teams. With Ayton already locked up, Miller can now focus on bringing in some more of those elite guards to pair with him next season.

Ayton’s EYBL highlight video can be found below.