INTEL: Ranking the contenders for four-star Pryce Sandfort

Pryce Sandfort came in as the No. 99 player in On3’s updated 2023 class rankings. The 6-foot-6 guard averaged 13.7-points, 6.0-rebounds, and 2.0-assists while shooting 40.3-percent from three on 144 attempts this summer. Sandfort played with the D1 Minnesota team on the Adidas 3SSB Circuit.

Sandfort’s older brother Payton Sandfort is a rising sophomore at Iowa. Both of Sandfort’s parents played college basketball as well. 

Sandfort has taken three official visits, Drake, Nebraska, and Iowa. Let’s rank the contenders.

1. Iowa

An Iowa native with a brother who attends the school, Iowa has long thought to be the leader here. Sandfort’s official visit to the Hawkeyes was last weekend, along with JP Estrella. Fran McCaffrey was at most of Sandfort’s summer travel ball games, and Iowa coaches were undoubtedly at all of them. 

There is a positional fit with how Iowa plays and Sandfort’s ability to really shoot and really pass at 6-foot-6. Iowa was his first high major offer. 

Iowa’s chances: 90-percent

2. Drake

Drake was Sandfort’s first DI offer. The local university has gotten Sandfort on campus; they were also his first official. They have also been in Sandfort’s home for a visit. 

Drake has put in a lot of time. They consistently showed up to games, and they have built a relationship. 

Drake’s chances: 5-percent

3. Nebraska

Nebraska came in early for Sandfort, and they spent time building a relationship, getting an in-home visit and an official visit. Hoiberg is well known in Iowa, and Sandfort has a history, having attended his camps when he was younger. 

Nebraska’s chances: 3-percent

4. Clemson

Clemson came on in July, but they came on strong. Brad Brownell let it be known that he wanted Sandfort, showing up often to his games. They did a good job laying the groundwork, but it was too late in the process, and Sandfort had more established relationships elsewhere.

Clemson’s chances: 2-percent

Final intel

At the end of the day, the pull to Iowa is just too strong. Sure there are the family ties, being able to play a couple more years with his brother. But it is more than that. There is a familiarity Sandfort has with the school and the program. 

Sources say the official visit this past weekend was the icing on the cake, letting Sandfort know that is where he wanted to be. 

Sandfort took well to how the Hawkeyes plan to use him. His positional size and skill-versatility can be used in multiple positions along the perimeter. Intel suggests watching for a commitment to come sooner rather than later.

On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine

I have placed my expert pick in On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM) for Pryce Sandfort to choose Iowa. I set my pick with 95-percent confidence.

The On3 engineering group teamed up with Spiny.ai to create the industry’s first algorithm and machine learning-based product to predict where athletes will attend college. Starting from the ground up, On3 built an entirely new product that utilizes data, human expertise, and machine learning.