“Long ahh arms”: Hoops fans react as 4-star Braydon Hawthorne climbs 79 spots in ranking

247Sports has finally updated its rankings, which has led to some very big rank-ups, including Huntington's Braydon Hawthorne. The website previously ranked him at 149, but it has since moved the West Virginia signee up by 79 spots and is now ranked the No. 70 overall.

The 6-foot-8, four-star small forward has proven he can compete with the best of the class of 2025. He is now 247Sports' No. 70 overall, the No. 16 small forward, and the No. 1 player in West Virginia. He is known for his long arms and playstyle, and his big rank-up has gotten fans talking.

"long ahh arms," one commenter said.

"yeah told dudes he was coming lol @braydonhawthorne 🤞🏼," a fan wrote, tagging Hawthorne's account.

"Gang picked the max wingspan," another person pointed out.

Meanwhile, several others praised him for choosing West Virginia and compared him to legendary NBA players, such as Reggie Miller.

"Wv commit?? That’s what I like to hear," a fan commented.

"He lowkey play like Reggie Miller 😂," another commenter wrote.

"He looked good at Flyin to the hoop," another fan said.

Fans react to Braydon Hawthorne going up 247Sports' rankings (Source: Instagram/@slam_hs)

Despite being rated four-star and in the Top 100 by 247Sports, other rankings websites still list him as a three-star. These include On3, which still lists Hawthorne as a three-star, ranked No. 169 overall, 39th in his position, and first in West Virginia.

West Virginia now has three four-star recruits after Braydon Hawthorne ranked up

West Virginia came out as a big winner in the 247Sports ranking. With Braydon Hawthorne's rank up, the school has three four-star prospects. The others are Kelvin Odih and Trent MacLean. The trio are already official signees to the school, formally signing last November.

Hawthorne unofficially visited West Virginia on Oct. 1 and said he was told the team wanted him. That unofficial visit had a lasting impression on the small forward, as he eventually committed just a few days later.

“I feel like nothing is better than to represent your home state,” Hawthorne said.

Hawthorne chose his home state's school over Florida Gulf Coast, Mount St. Mary’s, Ohio, Old Dominion, Pepperdine, Radford, UMBC, and Wichita State.