With Indiana's 2026 recruiting class now on campus, Darian DeVries and his staff continue to shift their focus to future recruiting cycles. Indiana's recruiting 2027 class features a single commit in the form of 4-star combo guard Chase Branham, and the Hoosiers are on the early prowl for top talent in the 2028 class.
One player at the top of DeVries' wish list is 5-star AJ Williams, who is a 6'7" 200-pound small forward from Stockbridge, GA. Williams is one of the most coveted prospects in the country, and up until Tuesday, was ranked as the No. 1 overall player in the 2028 recruiting cycle. However, that has since changed in a major way.
Per multiple reports, Williams has announced his reclassification into the 2027 class. Williams is already garnering heavy attention from Power 4 programs across the country, and now that has reclassified from the 2028 class to the 2027 class, his recruitment process is about to get even more intense.
NEWS: 2028’s No. 1 overall recruit, AJ Williams, is reclassifying into the 2027 class, he told @Rivals.
— Joe Tipton (@JoeTipton) August 4, 2026
The 6-7 wing holds 25 offers, including Duke, North Carolina, Auburn, BYU, Kansas, Georgia, and more. https://t.co/caEZmitVRB pic.twitter.com/Z0n6FL9FvQ
To show just how much of an elite talent Williams is, he didn't even fall that far in the national recruiting rankings with his reclassification. He is not considered the top overall player in his new 2027 class, but he is still a Top-5 prospect according to 247Sports. That is typically not the case when players reclassify. Usually they will fall further back in the rankings than that. But it's clear that Williams' hype is only continuing to build.
Darian DeVries and Indiana were in early on AJ Williams
Williams has been on Indiana's radar for awhile, and the Hoosiers were one of the first Power 4 teams to extend an offer to him. That came back in July of last year. Furthermore, Williams was one of the first players to receive an offer from DeVries after he took over at the helm of the Hoosier basketball program in March 2025.
Darian DeVries and Indiana extend scholarship offer to son of former NFL star
But can DeVries and the Hoosiers stay in the race? That is the question on the minds of every Hoosier basketball fan out there.
DeVries figures to be going up against some heavy hitters for Williams' services. His current list of offers exceeds 25 schools, including North Carolina, Duke, Arkansas, Auburn, BYU, Kansas, and Georgia, among others. As a Georgia native, the Bulldogs are certainly a team to watch. Jon Scheyer and the Blue Devils are also a heavy contender according to several reports. Landing Williams won't be easy, and could even be considered an uphill battle for Indiana at this point in time.
Looking forward, Williams figures to start scheduling official visits for the fall. It will be interesting who makes it onto his visit schedule, and hopefully, he makes a trip to Bloomington at some point in time.
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