Cincinnati Bearcats mascot holds a flag before the NCAA football game between Cincinnati Bearcats and Murray State Racers on Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021, at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati. Murray State Racers At Cincinnati Bearcats — © Albert Cesare / The Enquirer via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Multiple Basketball/Football Visits Lined up With Top Recruits for Indiana Game

A pair of four-star hardwood recruits are attending, along with a five-star safety.

Author:
Russ Heltman
Updated:
Sep 16, 2022 7:43 AM EDT

CINCINNATI — The UC football home game against Indiana will be a star-studded affair. Wes Miller is bringing multiple top targets in for the big football game, and a five-star 2025 football recruit is attending as well.

We start on the gridiron, where according to The Athletic's Justin Williams, 2023 four-star prospects Jizzle James and Arrinten Page are visiting for the big game.

According to 247Sports Composite, James is the 53rd-ranked player in the class and the ninth-ranked point guard. ESPN has him ranked as the 60th-best player in the class and the 15th-best point guard.

The son of NFL Hall-of-Famer Edgerrin James recently put UC in his final three school choices along with LSU and Georgia. For more on his recruitment and game, click here.

A teammate with top 2023 UC target Isaiah Collier, Page burst onto the recruiting scene this spring with help from the EYBL circuit. According to 247Sports composite, Page is the 52nd-ranked prospect in the class (up from 158th in June) and the eighth-ranked center. He just put UC in his top-four schools this week, along with Miami (FL), Indiana, and USC. For more on his game, click here.

Turning to the marquee gridiron visit, Cincinnati is going big-game hunting after proving they can develop top-tier secondary talent and send them into the NFL. Five-star 2025 Zephyrhills (FL) safety DJ Pickett is visiting UC next weekend.

According to 247Sports Composite, Pickett is the eighth-ranked player in his class and the second-ranked safety. He holds 36 offers from schools like Alabama, Georgia, and Miami but does not have one listed from Cincinnati.

Pickett, unsurprisingly, is the most impressive UC recruit I've watched since I started covering the school last November. The fluid movement, the ball-tracking, the big-play ability. They say it's not hard to tell a five-star when you see them, and Pickett fits that stereotype.

At 6-foot-2, 170 pounds, Pickett hasn't come close to filling out, and he's still a menace. He shuts down open-field runs with abandon and finished multiple stops with forced fumbles that he planned to rip out. He tracks the ball like a centerfielder on deep shots and honestly could be used on offense at the next level if he keeps developing as a receiver.

He'll at least impact special teams early in his career—after showing off multiple onside kick recoveries, including one he picked up in stride and returned for six points.

He would easily eclipse Evan Prater as the highest-rated UC player of the 247Sports era, and be the first five-star signed by UC over that time. Check out his highlights here.

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