Top Center in Class of 2026 Commits to Houston Cougars
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Iowa United Prep senior center Arafan Diane, the No. 1-ranked frontcourt player in the class of 2026 by multiple outlets, committed to coach Kelvin Sampson and the Houston Cougars on Wednesday.
NEWS: Houston has landed a commitment from Arafan Diane, the No. 11 overall player in the 2026 class, a source tells @Rivals.
— Joe Tipton (@JoeTipton) November 19, 2025
The 7-0 center and No. 1 ranked big man in the class chose the Cougars after visiting Kentucky, Arkansas, Indiana, and Virginia.… pic.twitter.com/xpbydMyE09
A native of West Africa, Diane is billed as a four-star center by 247Sports, the top player out of the state of Iowa, and the No. 11 overall player in the class of 2026 by Rivals. When it came down to his commitment, he chose Houston over Arkansas, Kentucky, Indiana, and Virginia, among other schools.
When the crystal ball circled Diane's commitment to Houston, this came as no surprise as Sampson often recruits his frontcourt pieces on height, wingspan and tenacity. When Diane made his official visit in October, he essentially signaled his admiration for the winning program culture.
"Coach Sampson is different," Diane told ESPN's Paul Biancardi. "He values winning like I do."
For the second consecutive recruiting class, Sampson successfully landed the top-rated big man. However, this recruitment lands at a greater stance in the frontcourt than previously, with stretch forward/center Chris Cenac Jr.
Diane, listed at 7-foot-1, boasts a near 300-pound frame that may heed physicality differences from opposing defenders in the Big 12 conference. His 7-foot-4 wingspan makes the current frontcourt room under Sampson raise the average wing from 7-foot-3 to the territory where currently, Cenac, redshirt fifth year guard Kalifa Sakho, and junior forward Joseph Tugler compose Diane's mark or higher as a unit in 2025-26.
Diane's frame itself is considered an extremely comparable frame to that of past NBA legends and current frontcourt stars, including Shaquille O'Neal, Zach Edey, Andre Drummond, and Nikola Jokic.
“Diane is arguably the most physically dominant big man in the national class," 247Sports director of scouting Adam Finkelstein wrote in July.
In a room where Sampson's frontcourt strives to be physical off the glass and drive up the paint, Diane's profile boasts just that. In terms of grabbing boards, he averaged double-figure rebounds and nearly a block a game in his time at Iowa United, and averaged nearly 20 rebound per game as a member of Guinea's U-17 national team.
This isn't expected to be the last of who Sampson lands among his 2026 class, as he continues to establish his presence in securing commitments from the top players who have also been heavily recruited by blue blood institutions. In terms of future seasons, one could imagine the back and frontcourt alignments in an already-stacked roster of returners in those upcoming campaigns.
Michael Carrara is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI. He attends the University of Houston, where he is a journalism major and a marketing minor. He is also a sports writer and reporter for the Daily Cougar, having covered baseball as an NCBWA member. You can find Michael on all major social media channels, including X on @michaelcoalec.