Insider weighs in on 'underrated part' of Kentucky, USC target Tyran Stokes' game amid recruitment buzz 

With the Class of 2025 heading to their respective colleges, Tyran Stokes is now attracting a lot of attention as the No. 1 player in the 2026 Class (according to On3's Industry Rankings). The 6-foot-7 small forward will enter his senior year at Notre Dame in Sherman Oaks, California.

Stokes, who returned to play AAU Basketball, is representing the Oakland Soldiers, along with Jason Crowe Jr. The duo led their team to a massive 83-68 win over Boo Williams on Friday. Stokes' performance earned him praise from On3's Joe Tipton.

"It is quite difficult to defend Tyran Stokes without a double team. The 6-foot-7 small forward is a freight train in transition. He’s nearly impossible to stop in the open court and can score at will. His skill level and feel for the game are impressive," Tipton said.

He also praised his basketball IQ and talked about the offers he has received.

"His basketball IQ is quite high and he flat out produces. An underrated part of his game is his passing agility. He finished with 23 points, 14 rebounds, four assists, and two blocks. Kentucky’s Mark Pope, USC’s Eric Musselman, UCLA’s Mick Cronin, and others watched him play."

The Soldiers sit at the third spot in the Merritt Division with an 11-3 record and 11 points. In the Nike EYBL Circuit, Stokes has played eight games and averaged a double-double with 21.8 points on 44.4% shooting, including 25.0% from behind the arc and 72.8% from the charity stripe.

He is also grabbing 10.0 rebounds, dishing out 4.0 assists, stealing the ball twice and recording 0.7 blocks per game.

Last season, Stokes led Notre Dame to a 28-8 record and a 5-2 record in the California Southern Section Mission Basketball League, leading them to the finals before they were defeated by the Duke Blue Devils signee Nik Khamenia's Harvard-Westlake.

In the CIF state title, the Knights were knocked out by Roosevelt in the regional finals.

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Tyran Stokes wins his third gold medal with Team USA

After winning gold medals at the 2023 FIBA U16 Men's Americas Championship in Merida, Mexico, and the 2024 FIBA U17 Men's World Cup in Istanbul, Tyran Stokes helped Team USA win the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup in Switzerland.

He averaged 9.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists in seven games, while shooting 70.6%.

Tyran Stokes has plenty of offers from colleges, including the Louisville Cardinals, Kentucky Wildcats, Kansas Jayhawks and the Arkansas Razorbacks. However, he still has another year to decide on his collegiate career.