July is pivotal in the athlete evaluation process, as a loaded slate of skill academy camps and events like the Nike Peach Jam Finals and adidas 64 camp offer college scouts and coaches a final opportunity to look at potential targets against other elite prospects before the high school year begins. With that added exposure, a flood of offers are bound to follow. Also, coaches were permitted to contact and offer Class of 2015 players on June 15, leading to even more headlines on the recruiting front.
This confluence of recruiting activity ties in well with this week's #BlueChipBattles, which features five fresh faces, headlined by four ESPN 60 rising juniors and a senior star who may be gearing up for a summer pledge.
Note: Front-runners/dark horses are staff picks based on rumors/developing trends and recent recruiting activity.
Here's a look at our panel of experts: Dave Telep (@DaveTelep), Paul Biancardi (@PaulBiancardi), Reggie Rankin (@ReggieRankin), Adam Finkelstein (@FinkelsteinNERR), Joel Francisco (@JoelFranESPN), John Stovall (@john_stovall) and Michael LaPlante (@hoopsconnection).
We want your tweets
Now your contributions to the list begin. Take a look at what our experts say about the battles, then head to Twitter and offer us your feedback using #BlueChipBattles. We'll retweet the best and add them to our page.
This week's list
On June 15, coaches set their sights on the rising junior class, and three top-15 prospects were among the most heavily contacted prospects. As you can expect, Kentucky made its presence felt by offering two of those stars, while Duke extended an offer to the third. Finally, No. 31 rising senior Craig Victor may be closing in on a commitment to a Pac-12 power, meaning his stay in our top-10 list could be abbreviated. Mainstays like Jahlil Okafor, Tyus Jones and Cliff Alexander return based on their recent buzz.