Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey headline group of 2024 McDonald's All-Americans

The McDonald’s All-American committee issued the 24-man roster for the 2024 iteration of the game. One of the longest-tenured and most prestigious high school all-star games is set to take place on April 2 in Houston, Texas at the Toyota Center.

This year will feature 24 of the high-ranked players in the 2024 class including 2024 On3 150 No. 1 ranked Cooper Flagg. Players in this game are committed to programs like Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, and North Carolina.

Let’s discuss some of the initial reactions to the 2024 McDonald’s All-American game roster release.

2024 McDonald’s All-American Game Roster Breakdown

Cooper Flagg and Ace Bailey on Opposite Teams

This will be an interesting pairing. Cooper Flagg and Ace Bailey are both ranked among the top three prospects across all four major scouting services. They are both similar in height and play similar positions. 

This will be the first time we have seen these two face off, head-to-head. While the two Five-Star Plus+ forwards have played in the same events and camps, they have not lined up across from one another. 

We are coming down to the wire with the 2024 recruiting cycle, as we have tracked the 2024 class from their freshman seasons. Projection toward the NBA Draft is always the goal of On3’s rankings. But body of work, statistical analysis, and head-to-head matchups add necessary data points to the conversation.

Seeing two players at the top of their class, playing a similar position, going head-to-head through McDonald’s All-American practices and scrimmages will make for fun conversation.

Alabama and Rutgers join Blue Bloods UNC, Duke, and Kentucky with multiple selections

Five colleges have two committed prospects playing in the 2024 McDonald’s All-American game. Blue blood programs Duke (92), North Carolina (88), and Kentucky (78) have combined to sign 258 McDonald’s All-Americans since the first McDonald’s All-American game in 1977.

Alabama and Rutgers also put two players in this game. Small forward Derrion Reid and center Aiden Sherrell, each of Napa (CA) Prolific Prep are committed to the Crimson Tide. Guard Dylan Harper of Ramsey (NJ) Don Bosco Prep and forward Ace Bailey of Power Springs (GA) McEachern are going to the Scarlet Knights.

California Puts Five Players in McDonald’s All-American Game, Florida with four

The state of California had five players make the final roster of the McDonald’s All-American game. Four-star prospects Aiden Sherrell (Alabama), Zoom Diallo (Washington), and Trent Perry (USC) join five-stars Carter Bryant (Arizona) and Derrion Reid (Alabama) in the game. 

Florida was just behind California putting four players into the game. Four-star Bradenton (FL) IMG Academy forward Donnie Freeman (Syracuse) joined three players from Montverde (FL) Montverde Academy, Five-Star Plus+ Cooper Flagg (Duke), five-star Liam McNeeley (Indiana), and uncommitted four-star Derik Queen.

North Carolina, Georgia, and New York each had three players make the final roster.

A Dive into the Numbers

Twenty-four players across ten different states made the final roster of the 2024 McDonald’s All-American game. 

Of the 14 players On3 has ranked as five-star prospects in the 2024 On3 150, 13 made the final roster. Montverde (FL) Montverde Academy forward Asa Newell, a Georgia signee ranked No. 11 was On3’s only five-star not to make the game. Each player in the top ten of the 2024 On3 150 made the game.

After Newell, the only player ranked in the top 20 of the 2024 On3 Industry Ranking to not make the game is Duke signee Kon Knueppel (No. 18). The On3 Industry Ranking is the industry’s most complete and unbiased ranking measurement, compiling the average ranking of all four primary recruiting media services.

Three of the players in the game remain uncommitted, four-star center Derik Queen, four-star small forward Bryson Tucker, and four-star small forward Karter Knox. In all, 16 schools have committed players participating in the game.

Only three players who were chosen for the game ranked outside of the top 30 in the 2024 On3 Industry Ranking. Ole Miss signee John Bol of Atlanta (GA) Overtime Elite is No. 50, USC signee Trent Perry is No. 44, and Washington commitment Zoom Diallo is No. 31.