Simi Shittu, ANOTHER 5-star recruit, picks Vanderbilt Basketball

Bryce Drew has done it again. Just nine days after signing five-star point guard Darrius Garland to a letter of intent, the second-year head coach added another blue chip prospect.

Power forward Simisola (Simi) Shittu made his verbal commitment to Vanderbilt official Wednesday afternoon with a post at The Players Tribune. The 6’9 big man gives the Commodores a recruiting class strong enough to match up with anyone in the NCAA.

EDIT: Vanderbilt has made it official — he isn’t just a verbal commit, he’s also signed his letter of intent.

247Sports ranks Shittu as the No. 7 prospect in his class, three spots ahead of Garland. The Vermont Academy standout had offers from nearly every other powerhouse program in the country, including North Carolina, Arizona, UCLA, UConn, and one from old friend Kevin Stallings at Pittsburgh. He’ll pair with Brentwood native Garland to give the Commodores a devastating inside-out foundation next winter.

And the much-hyped pair will have some stellar support as well. Four-star wing Aaron Nesmith is the kind of athletic, sweet-shooting forward who should be able to thrive alongside two five-star prospects.

Drew may not be done for 2018, despite a class that’s already destined to be a top 10 group. Five-star shooting guard Romeo Langford also has Vanderbilt in his top three schools. While he’s not expected to make his official decision anytime soon, the presence of Garland and Shittu — and Nesmith, too -- could play a big factor in luring him to Nashville for 2018-19.