Bronny James: USC trending for 5-star recruit

USC has emerged as the heavy favorite to land a commitment from coveted Sierra Canyon (Calif.) five-star combo guard Bronny James, according to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM).

Following predictions from On3’s Jamie Shaw (April 7) and Gerry Hamilton of Inside Texas (April 15), the Trojans sit with a 85.4% chance to land a commitment from James. Shaw put in his confidence level with the pick at 60%, while Hamilton’s was at 75%.

USC now has more room on their roster and in the backcourt for a player like Bronny too. Lincolnton (N.C.) Combine Academy four-star point guard Silas Demary Jr. asked out of his National Letter of Intent to USC on April 16, according to On3’s Joe Tipton.

In addition to the Trojans’ interest in Bronny, USC guard Boogie Ellis has announced that he will be returning for the 2023-24 season.

The son of the NBA’s all-time leading scorer LeBron James, Bronny is the No. 27 overall prospect and No. 5 combo guard in the 2023 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He is also the No. 7 player in California.

On3 ranks Bronny higher than the other three major recruiting outlets according to the Industry Comparison. He’s ranked as five-star prospect, the No. 9 player in the country, the No. 2 combo guard and the No. 1 player in California.

On Jan. 17, a report from Luca Evans of The Los Angeles Times stated Bronny will make his college decision after the season and will choose between Ohio State, Oregon and USC.

A few days after that report Bronny told On3’s Joe Tipton, “I’m still open, but those are options”.

James has played well against top players in the country

Bronny competed in this year’s McDonald’s All-American Game and was the highest uncommitted player at the event. He finished the game 5-of-10 from the floor, including 5-of-8 from the 3-point line, with 15 points, four assists and a rebound.

In a recent media interview ahead of this week’s Nike Hoops Summit, James spoke about having some of the top players in the country trying to recruit him.

“You know, it’s fun times and good to joke with them,” James said during the interview. “Talking to them, talking to the coaches, it’s good to know they want me there with them. But at the end of the day, it’s my decision and I need to make the right one for me.”

Bronny James currently has the highest On3 NIL Valuation in the country at $7.2 million. A large part of that valuation is due to Bronny’s more than 12-million followers on his social media accounts. Beats by Dre, Nike, and PSD Underwear have inked NIL deals with Bronny.

The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets high school and college athletes’ projected annual value (PAV). The NIL valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time.