5-star PG Robert Dillingham commits to NC State

2023 five-star guard Robert Dillingham has committed to North Carolina State, choosing the Wolfpack over Kentucky, Kansas, LSU and Memphis. He also held offers from the likes of Auburn, Clemson, DePaul, Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas, among others.

Dillingham announced his decision date Monday evening before revealing his commitment Wednesday afternoon.

2023 five-star Robert Dillingham has committed to NC State, a source told @On3Recruits.

He is the Wolfpack’s second highest-ranked commit in the modern recruiting era, only behind Dennis Smith Jr.

Story: https://t.co/EmoHF7rFz1 pic.twitter.com/DZz8LAhPor

— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) December 1, 2021

Dillingham is the No. 11 prospect in the 2023 class, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He is ranked as the No. 3 point guard and the No. 1 player in North Carolina.

A hectic recruitment

How did we get to this point? It hasn’t been simple by any stretch of the imagination.

At various points in his recruitment, Dillingham has favored the likes of North Carolina, Memphis, LSU and Kentucky, with NC State blowing up as the likely pick in recent days. Following his official visit to Lexington back in October, whispers of a silent commitment to Kentucky grew louder and it was a consensus in recruiting circles that he would go public sooner rather than later.

At the time of Dillingham’s scheduled commitment announcement on Monday evening, there were five Crystal Ball picks and four FutureCast predictions for Dillingham on 247Sports and Rivals, respectively. Every pick favored the Wildcats. In the 48 hours since, though, eight Crystal Ball picks and four FutureCast predictions all came in for Dillingham, all favoring the Wolfpack.

The shift from Kentucky to NC State

The reason for the change didn’t come down to one factor in particular, with KSR reporting several factors that led to Dillingham’s change-up late Monday evening.

For starters, sources tell KSR there were questions within Dillingham’s camp regarding his fit alongside prized guard target DJ Wagner — should he commit to Kentucky, of course. It was a hurdle that opened the door for NC State buzz to creep in behind the scenes over the past two weeks. UK liked and wanted both pieces to pair with Reed Sheppard, but the idea of sharing the spotlight with the nation’s consensus No. 1 guard was one Dillingham’s circle struggled with.

Another line of thinking is that Kentucky pulled out of this recruitment due to the delays, outside noise, and potential eligibility concerns that could emerge down the road. They loved him as a player, but between his highly-publicized transfer to Kanye West’s Donda Academy, the added voices in his recruitment, and the other available options, was it worth the hassle?

There’s also talk that Kentucky was led on from the start and his recruitment wasn’t as open-and-shut as the staff was told it was following his visit to Lexington. Considering multiple different schools have now been led to believe Dillingham was coming to their respective programs, it’s a valid concern — certainly not UK’s fault, in that case. If a player tells you he’s committing to your program, are you not supposed to take him at his word?

KSR also learned late Monday evening that it’s no guarantee Dillingham ever sets foot on a college campus regardless. Whether that’s due to eligibility issues or potential professional options coming in late, concerns are there. A verbal pledge or even a signing is one thing, but it’s another to get a player enrolled and on campus. This would be an ongoing conversation well beyond signing day.

In other words, it’s been a mess.

Other potential options

With Dillingham headed to NC State, Kentucky’s focus remains on DJ Wagner to join Reed Sheppard in the backcourt, with the program also extending offers to five-star wings such as Mackenzie Mgbako, Mookie Cook, JJ Taylor, Justin Edwards and Elijah Fisher. UK is also expressing interest in the likes of Kwame Evans Jr., Baye Fall, Omaha Biliew, Matas Buzelis and Isaiah Miranda, among others.

On to the next.