4-star junior Brady Dunlap's recruitment remains wide-open

A bit of a nomad growing up, Brady Dunlap moved seven or eight times before settling in Studio City, California, where he’s been since the eighth grade. It’s the life of a coach’s son. Brady’s father, Jeff Dunlap, has coached all over the country, including but not limited to, Loyola Chicago, Alabama, Georgia, NC State, Western Michigan, and most recently at California State Northridge.

Dunlap attends the prestigious Harvard-Westlake School, located in Los Angeles County, where people like Jake Gyllenhaal, Shirley Temple, and plenty of other future actors, actresses, professional athletes, and politicians attended before making it big.

The 6-foot-7 small forward has all the right tools and resources around him to be successful. Dunlap is ranked as the No. 64 overall recruit in the 2023 class, according to the On3 Consensus. He’s picked up offers from Kansas, Arkansas, Minnesota, Xavier, Pepperdine, San Diego State, LMU, and Rice while starting to garner interest from schools in the Pac-12, such as USC and Utah.

However, when you look at Dunlap’s ranking compared to the schools involved within his recruit, it’s a tad questionable. That’s not to take anything away from the schools on his list, but there is a reason for the lack of high majors involved.

The impact of COVID

To put it simply, COVID has had a massive effect on his college recruitment. During his sophomore year at Harvard-Westlake, college coaches weren’t allowed to be in attendance at games, due to the pandemic.

“During my sophomore year, coaches couldn’t come to watch us,” Dunlap said. “I thought I had some pretty big games where I proved myself against some of the top 2022s and 2021s. I feel like if coaches were there, I would’ve picked up a lot of interest.”

To make matters worse, last summer during the EYBL season, Dunlap contracted the virus and was unable to participate during Peach Jam, when coaches were allowed to see him play.

“I had five or six schools text me and tell me they were going to watch me play courtside, but I had to tell them I was stuck in the hotel room,” Dunlap explained.

Consequently, Dunlap hasn’t been able to fully enjoy and experience the recruiting process. The junior wing hopes to crush it this summer during the AAU season and see his recruitment expand.

Dunlap’s recruitment is wide open and there’s no rush on a decision

“I’m really trying to keep my recruitment open,” Dunlap said. “The transfer portal is crazy, so you never know who is going to be on the roster. When I commit, I want to make sure I have a groundwork of who’s going to be there when I get there. I feel like if you commit now, you’re really trusting the coaching staff. So I’m just trying to be cautious.”

Dunlap is taking his time and is in no rush to make a decision. Currently, he hears the most from San Diego State, Xavier, and Minnesota. He plans to start taking college visits after Peach Jam and then hopes to make a decision by November.

Dunlap’s recruitment could change dramatically between now and the end of the AAU season, encouraging him to remain as open as possible during this process. He may not yet know where his future home will be, but he does know what he’s looking for.

“My relationship with the head coach is the main thing,” Dunlap explained. “I want him to believe in me, and I want to believe in him. Of course, the education too.”

“I grew up in the south,” Dunlap continued. “I went to Alabama football games and NC State basketball games. If we lost, fans would be crying. I love sports so much and I love the passion. I’m really looking for a school where the fans are so passionate about it, and they want to win so bad. I want a culture that’s all about winning.”

Brady Dunlap describes his game

“I’m known to be a shooter, but I think I’m becoming more of a playmaker as of late with my high school team,” Dunlap said. “I feel like I’m a great shooter, and that’s what I’m confident in. I think I’m a pretty good passer, I see the floor pretty well, but scoring has always been my main thing. I still need to get stronger and work on rebounding and defense. I think my lateral quickness is kind of underappreciated. I’ve been working pretty hard on it, so hopefully, I can prove my ability to guard multiple positions this summer. I want to be a well-rounded player. I don’t want to be just the stereotypical shooter, who sits in the corner. I want to evolve my game.”