"He was one of those guys that really flew under the radar": Recruiting insider reveals 6'8" West Virginia signee as one of the best sleeper prospects

The No. 1 player in West Virginia in the 2025 class, Braydon Hawthorne made his commitment to West Virginia on Sep. 4. The Dr. Pepper Classic MVP also plays club basketball for Phenom United 25'. He became West Virginia's and coach Darian DeVries' third commitment from the Class of 2025.

The 247Sports director of scouting Adam Finkelstein, National Basketball analyst Travis Branham and journalist Eric Bossi discussed Hawthorne's abilities in a YouTube video posted by 247Sports on Dec. 19.

Finkelstein asked Branham about a senior prospect that has taken their game to the next level and the analyst took Braydon Hawthorne's name:

"The easiest answer, there's no bigger riser that I have seen than Braydon Hawthorne and you probably haven't even heard of him. A kid that is committed to West Virginia but he was one of those guys that really flew under the radar even in terms of when his commitment landed," said Branham. (13:05 - 13:19)

He continued to talk about how Hawthorne would fit at West Virginia:

"Just extremely sneaky pickup for that Mountaineer staff getting a kid in their state at 6-foot-8, really long wing that can also, in time, potentially play at the four, but he looks like a baby, physically a kid that I describe to everybody. He could pass as a sophomore in high school right now." (13:22 -13:42)

"But don't let it fool you, this kid has a lot of game, already a guy that can step out and make shots from three. Very comfortable and confident playing with the ball in terms of his ability to create an attack off the dribble," continued Branham. (13:43 - 13:56)

The three-star recruit from the 2025 class ranks at the 215th spot nationally and 41st in the small forward position. Currently playing for Huntington Expression Prep in Huntington, West Virginia, Hawthorne is averaging 13 points and eight rebounds per game.

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What did Coach DeVries say about Braydon Hawthorne?

DeVries' side ranks at the 53rd spot nationally in the basketball industry comparison commits, according to On3. Hawthorne rejected offers from Pepperdine, Old Dominion, Florida Gulf Coast and UMBC to commit to West Virginia.

DeVries signed Braydon Hawthorne to a grant-in-aid for the 2025-26 season and commended Hawthorne's shooting:

“We are thrilled to welcome Braydon to our Mountaineer family,” DeVries said. “Braydon has tremendous upside and positional size at 6-foot-9 on the wing. His skill, shooting and length as well as being a 4.0 student and West Virginia native are things we valued in his recruitment. We are excited to help Braydon develop here on and off the court.”

They secured the commitment of three-star recruits Kelvin Odih on Sep. 9 and Trent MacLean on Nov. 12 also.