Four-star guard Corey “C.J.” Floyd, Jr. committed to UConn on Thursday evening, celebrating his birthday by becoming the first member of the Huskies’ 2022 class. Floyd, who chose UConn over Rutgers, Villanova, and Florida (among others), announced his decision on Twitter on Thursday.
COMMITED‼️
— Corey Floyd Jr. (@CoreyFloydJr) January 15, 2021
12/14/20🕊 pic.twitter.com/ArPE2YvGPF
One thing I definitely won’t miss about the lean years of UConn recruiting was Tyler‘s daily reminders in the fall that UConn currently had no committed recruits coming in for the next season. Dan Hurley tied up his 2021 class by mid-August of last year after getting three top-100 players over a couple of weeks, and he’s opened his account for 2022 by reeling in Floyd early in the recruiting cycle.
Floyd, the son of former Providence guard Corey Floyd, in addition to having the good sense to not follow his dad to an NEC school, comes from Roselle Catholic, a New Jersey powerhouse basketball program. Some of his teammates last season included former UConn recruits Cliff Omoruyi and Niels Lane, as well as 2023 top-10 player Simeon Wilcher, a player Hurley has already begun recruiting.
On the court, Floyd is a big, athletic guard who features a strong jumper and finishes very well around the rim. He is currently listed as a combo guard, and will likely be deployed at point guard, shooting guard, and small forward. Like UConn 2020 commit Jordan Hawkins, Floyd will be moving into a more featured role on his team this year, which puts him in a strong position to improve his national ranking (currently #125 on 247 Composite). Early on, he would be a strong candidate to slide into Brendan Adams’ role on the team, but he has the size and athleticism to develop into a top player.
Hurley will look to continue to recruit for 2022, with Connecticut big man Donovan Clingan and Florida wing Justice Williams his current top priorities. UConn has three remaining open scholarships, but Hurley may also attempt to add a player for 2021 following Javonte Brown’s decision to transfer. Without any obvious replacements for Brown currently available in the 2021 class, Hurley may look for a late de-commit, re-class, or transfer to fill the spot, or he could hold it open for the 2022 class (please just go get Jaylen Blakes, Dan. You’ll be glad you did when Bouknight declares for the draft).
In any case, adding Floyd this early puts Hurley in position to chase high-ceiling players who might have more competition (like Williams) without risking ending up empty-handed, a position UConn found themselves in too often in recent years.
