Luke Barnett Decision Day: Predicting Where the 4-Star Guard Commits

One of Kansas basketball's top recruiting targets is set to announce his college decision today. Luke Barnett will be choosing between KU, Miami, and UNLV as the Jayhawks look to land their fourth commitment in the Class of 2026.

Barnett is the No. 144-ranked player among the nation's rising seniors and is a 6-foot-4, 180-pound shooting guard. He plays at Mater Dei High School in California and is one of the best outside shooters in his class.

Which of these three schools will land a commitment from him? Here, we will break down all of his options and predict where he will commit.

Kansas

Barnett became involved with Kansas just a few weeks ago when he scheduled a visit for Late Night in the Phog on Oct. 17. He was on campus last week as the only known prospect to visit during the event.

His recruitment has been spearheaded by Tony Bland, KU's newest assistant coach from this offseason, who has deep recruiting ties to the West Coast. Here's what Barnett had to say about KU before he went to Late Night:

"I'm looking forward to seeing Late Night in the Phog. I've heard that's pretty cool so I'm looking forward to seeing that," Barnett said. "I'm also looking forward to seeing what their team is doing and what their guys are like. Coach (Bill) Self has been there for a long time so I'm definitely excited to see how he does things and take in all of it because it will be cool to see."

Miami (FL)

The Mater Dei star completed his visit to Miami the week before he went to Kansas.

He was offered by the Hurricanes earlier this month, and they have since entered his recruitment. Barnett watched the team practice and explored the surrounding area during his visit, saying he was very fond of the program.

UNLV

UNLV is the only school remaining in his recruitment that has been targeting him for quite some time.

The program offered him back in August 2024 and hosted him on an official visit last month. They have shown that he is a priority for them and are the only school on his list on the West Coast.

Kansas On SI Verdict

Without trying to sound too biased as a Kansas site, everything really does seem to be falling into place for the Jayhawks here. Kansas was his final visit, which typically bodes well for a school's chances.

When a blue-blood program like KU suddenly jumps into the mix for a mid-tier prospect this late in the cycle, it usually means someone on the staff or within the scouting department sees something others don't.

UNLV has been recruiting him for a long time, and Miami is a very good program in its own right, but Barnett is announcing his commitment just one week after Late Night for a reason. We predict that Barnett will become the fourth player to pledge to the Jayhawks this cycle today at 1:15 p.m. CT.

Final Commitment Prediction: Kansas