2026 Top-20 recruit Qayden Samuels hearing from 5 schools the most

Qayden Samuels, a four-star shooting guard in the 2026 class, says he is currently hearing from five schools the most (in no particular order): Rutgers, Georgetown, Villanova, Alabama, and Washington.

He does not have a top list of schools and also holds offers from UConn, Tennessee, Syracuse, Michigan, Georgia, Kansas, West Virginia, Florida State, and more.

Samuels has taken unofficial visits to Georgetown and Villanova.

The 6-foot-5 junior out of Bishop McNamara (District Heights, MD) is the No. 20 overall recruit in the nation, according to the On3 Industry Rankings. He’s also the No. 5 shooting guard and the No. 1 player in Maryland.

Samuels a Top Performer at NBPA Top-100 Camp

On3’s Jamie Shaw found Qayden Samuels one of the top performers at the NBPA Top-100 Camp this past june:

“Qayden Samuels is a confident shot-taker. The lefty has good positional size, pushing 6 feet 5 inches and having nice length. His motor was fluid, and his shot-making was up and down, but his ability to find a clean look and soft touch was intriguing for the four-star.”

His On3 NIL Valuation is worth over $300K

Qayden Samuels currently holds a $316,000 On3 NIL Valuation, which ranks 68th in high school basketball.

The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets the standard market NIL value for high school and college athletes. A proprietary algorithm, the On3 NIL Valuation calculates an athlete’s NIL value using dynamic data points targeting three primary categories: performance, influence and exposure.

About On3 NIL Valuation, Brand Value, Roster Value

While the algorithm includes deal data, it does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals athletes have completed to date, nor does it set an athlete’s NIL valuation for their entire career.

The On3 NIL Valuation accounts for an athlete’s roster value and brand value. Roster value is the value an athlete has by being a member of his or her team at his or her school, which factors into the role of NIL collectives. Brand value factors in an athlete’s personal brand and the value it could bring to regional and national brands outside of the scope of NIL collectives.

The post 2026 Top-20 recruit Qayden Samuels hearing from 5 schools the most appeared first on On3.