Top-30 senior Tyrell Ward decommits from Xavier, reopens recruitment

Tyrell Ward, the No. 26 overall prospect in the 2022 class, has requested his release and will reopen his recruitment after former head coach Travis Steele and Xavier mutually agreed to part ways.

“Due to the recent coaching changes at Xavier University, I’ve decided to ask the university for my release from my NLI and will re-open my recruitment. 100% Xavier will still be an option. I’m grateful to Xavier for the love they’ve shown to me and my family throughout the process,” Ward said in a statement to On3.

Ward is the program’s third highest-ranked recruit in the modern recruiting era. Only Semaj Christon (2012) and Paul Scruggs (2017) ranked higher coming out of high school.

The 6-foot-7 small forward out of Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha Catholic committed to the Musketeers in July of last year, before signing during the early period in November.

Prior to picking Xavier, Ward considered LSU, Georgia, Virginia Tech, Indiana, Miami, Xavier, Maryland, and Georgetown.

The Musketeers still retain two-thirds of their 2022 recruiting class; four-star Kam Craft (No. 65) and four-star Desmond Claude (No. 110).

On Saturday, Xavier hired Sean Miller. Miller coached the Musketeers for five seasons (2004-09) and finished with a 120-47 overall record, including four straight NCAA tournaments. Miller went on to be the head coach of Arizona for 12 years, before being fired after the 2020-21 season. In his tenure with the Wildcats, Miller finished with a 302-109 overall record, helping the Wildcats win five Pac-12 regular-season titles and three Pac-12 Conference Tournament titles.

Side note: Ward’s former high school coach at DeMatha Catholic, Mike Jones, is now the associate head coach at Virginia Tech.

Scouting Report on Tyrell Ward

“Explosive, downhill wing. He has good length and positional size. Over his last year, he has developed a lot as a shot creator. Good in the mid-range, has good footwork off the bounce. Confident. Has touch, especially in the mid-range. He will need to continue putting on strength. The jump shot from three can be streaky. Is a quiet person by nature, but he plays with a passion.” – Jamie Shaw, On3’s National Recruiting Analyst