Kevin Kruger may have gotten a favor from his old boss. One that might help him hold on to a top 50 recruit.
With T.J. Otzelberger leaving UNLV for Iowa State, Arthur Kaluma’s commitment to UNLV become questionable.
But if you want hope on Kaluma possibly staying at UNLV, here you go.
Jayden Nunn decommitted from Iowa State over the weekend. Nunn is an unranked recruit in the 2021 class that had committed to Steve Prohm at Iowa State.
Nunn tweeted that he had not heard from Otzelberger and that was why he was decommitting.
“I was 110% committed and really excited to become a Cyclone. But due to the fact that I have not been contacted from the new Head Coach at Iowa State, I will be de-committing and re-opening my recruitment,” Nunn wrote.
Kaluma and Nunn play on the same team, Dream City Christian. Initially, Nunn’s commitment to Iowa State looked to be a reason for Kaluma to follow Otzelberger to Ames and play with a current teammate.
But with Nunn leaving Iowa State and Nunn saying he hasn’t even heard from Otzelberger, it sounds like Nunn is nowhere near the top of Otzleberger’s priority list. Maybe Kaluma isn’t either.
Kruger’s hiring makes Kaluma staying more likely. But a top 50 recruit staying committed to a middling Mountain West team after his coach left seems unlikely.
But Otzelberger’s misstep coupled with Kruger’s hiring might give UNLV a chance to keep Kaluma, who should be a high priority, as he has the potential to be the best player on the team in a couple of years (if not next season).