THE SKINNY
Height/Weight: 6-foot-1, 251 pounds
Hometown/High School: Orlando, FL (Lake Nona H.S.)
Ranking: ★★★★ (0.8934 247Sports Composite — No. 338 Overall)
Notable Offers: Auburn, Indiana, Miami, Ole Miss, UCF, Tennessee, and USC
HIGHLIGHTS
THE TALE
After landing an offer from Penn State back in January, Durant kept a close eye on the Nittany Lions, eventually making a visit to Happy Valley when the NCAA lifted the “dead period” in June. Heading into the visit, I think most would have agreed that Penn State was a bit of a long shot. It looked likely that Durant would stay in Florida, most likely ending up at Miami. Instead, the Nittany Lions coaching staff pulled off a bit of a shocker, securing Durant’s commitment on July 4.
OUTLOOK
Good win on the recruiting trail for Penn State. Durant isn’t going to be mistaken for a prospect with Top 10 draft pick upside. He’s just 6-foot-1 and while his wingspan is a bit longer (listed at 6-foot-4), it’s an obvious limitation when projecting just how good Durant could be. That being said, Durant checks a lot of the other boxes. He’s got a strong first step, and the agility (4.5 shuttle time) to wreak havoc at the snap. While he doesn’t have the biggest of frames, he holds 250 pounds well, and shouldn’t have too much of an issue playing in the 285 pound area, like we’ve seen with Kevin Givens and Hakeem Beamon.