2025 top-15 prospect Tounde Yessoufou has decided to cancel a trio of upcoming official visits to turn his attention to his finalist. According to Joe Tipton of On3, Yessoufu will not take official visits to Kentucky, Kansas, or UConn. Instead, he will now focus on Baylor, USC, and Arizona State.
It is kind of surprising that Yessoufou, from Santa Maria (Calif.), has decided to eliminate the three schools. He just announced that he dwindled his list down to six on September 5. He was slated to trek to UConn (September 21), Kansas (October 5), and Kentucky (October 11) for official visits.
Kansas is probably the biggest surprise of the three schools that didn’t make the cut. The Jayhawks offered Yessoufou in June, and Bill Self recently made an in-home visit. Kentucky and UConn were among the last schools to offer him, making the overture in July.
Top-15 2025 Prospect Cancels Visits To 3 Perennial Power House Programs To Focus On His 3 Finalists
Yessoufou is a four-star prospect with a comprehensive rating of 97.88. He is ranked between No. 11 and No. 18, with On3 having him the highest. ESPN and Rivals list the 6-5 small forward at 18th in their rankings.
Yessoufou is a physically impressive dude who plays with a high motor and defends all around the court. He finishes around the basket and rebounds in and out of his area.
Here is On3 Jaime Shaw’s scouting report on Yessoufou:
Tounde Yessoufou is a physically developed, explosively athletic wing prospect. Consistent production is the name of the game for the 6-5 Yessoufou. Defensively, he guards multiple positions, able to move his feet on the perimeter or switch down to guard some on the block. He has the quick-twitch to defend the ball and the anticipation and length as a team defender. Offensively, he has a solid pace and is at his best getting downhill in straight lines. Yessoufou needs to continue working on his middle game and his counters off the bounce. The jump shot is coming along but could also use some continued attention. The shot release can get flat and his balance/footwork get off when shooting off movement. He fills the lanes hard, pushes the break with pace, and is tough on the boards. He has consistently produced in every setting. Excellent motor.
Looking At Yessoufou’s Final 3 Programs
Yessoufou recently completed official visits to his three finalists. He was at USC at the end of July. More recently, he made the trek to Waco to visit with Baylor (Aug. 3) and to Tempe to talk with Arizona State (September 7).
Arizona State and Baylor appear to be the teams battling for Yessoufou services, according to Tipton.
Over a week ago, I wrote that Baylor is the frontrunner for Yessoufou, but Arizona State has also really emerged and made this recruitment interesting.
Yessoufou said at the end of July that he plans on deciding during the early signing period.
“I am planning to sign during the early period right now,” Yessoufou said. “Probably November.”
Here is a look at each school and his thoughts, per Tipton.
Baylor Bears
Baylor officially offered Yessoufou on June 20.
“Overall, my visit went great honestly. I didn’t expect it to be that good. I really enjoyed it. The campus was good. I feel like it helps a lot to not have any distractions. Basketball wise, just being focused and all that stuff. Scott Drew and his coaching staff, they’re all genuine people. They welcomed us with open arms and were super genuine. They’re in it for the right reasons. The resume speaks for itself. Coach Drew has been there for almost 23 years now and he’s been doing an amazing job. I feel like I can fit in the program, basketball wise. I feel like I can fit in really well. They play fast and they’re all about winning. The winning spirit they have there is really amazing and I’m looking forward to what the future holds.”
USC Trojans
USC has pursued Yessoufou since offering him back in June 2023.
“I saw how the coach is really tough and how he was able to give me some advice on how to make it to the league. He said I cannot go to college just wanting to make it to the next level, I have to want to work. Coach Muss (Eric Musselman) has had a lot of players make it to the league. The staff has some NBA players too who can use their experience to teach me different skills and how to read the game.”
Arizona State Sun Devils
Arizona State was one of the first programs to over Yessoufou, as the Sun Devils made the overture back in June 2022. But the Sun Devils were seemingly on the back burner until his official visit.
