Top 20 2026 prospect Colben Landrew has committed to UConn, he announced on CBS Sports’ College Basketball YouTube page Wednesday afternoon.
A former football star, Landrew is listed as a 6-foot-6, 205-pound small forward and has been considered a four-star recruit by all major recruiting sites.
“He has a powerful frame from head-to-toe rooted in his years spent on the football field,” 247Sports’ Director of Scouting Adam Finklestein wrote. “He brings that same physicality and toughness to the hardwood, but now that he’s focusing exclusively on basketball, his game is starting to blossom at a rapid rate.”
He joins shooting guard Junior County in a class that now ranks 11th in the 2026 class, behind Missouri, Kansas, Florida State, Wake Forest, Michigan, Purdue, Vanderbilt, Stanford, Georgia Tech and Arkansas, according to 247Sports. Rivals has the Huskies’ class ranked No. 4, only behind Arkansas, Missouri and Kansas.
Landrew chose the Dan Hurley-led Huskies over Louisville, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Purdue and Texas A&M. Louisville and Mississippi State were the two top competitors for the four-star recruit, per source. Late in the recruitment, Louisville was the only other school in the race, according to On3’s Joe Tipton.
“The reason I chose UConn was, after watching Danny Hurley’s practice, I saw how he was just so intense and how competitive he was with his team; how he was pushing his team every day, and don’t let them slack up,’ he told Tipton. “So I felt like ultimately I need that going into the future.”
Originally from Mississippi, Landrew grew up in Alabaster, Ala., and went to Wheeler High School in Marietta, Ga. UConn is the farthest school out of his final five schools.
“I really just had a good relationship with the coaches,” he told 247Sports’ Travis Branham. “They have been recruiting me for a while, and I just felt like I was needed there. The coaching staff can help me get to the next level.”
Landrew visited campus on Oct. 4 after receiving an offer on July 29. He had also taken visits to Ole Miss (Sept. 20, 2024), Purdue (June 24), Louisville, (Aug. 28), Mississippi State (Sept. 19) and Texas A&M (Sept. 23).
After flirting with fellow wings Cole Cloer and Connecticut native Abdou Toure, it became clear that UConn was zeroing in on Landrew.
So, what makes UConn the best fit out of the other five schools that were in the mix?
“I’m a winner and I know that UConn wins games,” Landrew explained to Tipton. “They won back-to-back national championships. I know [with] me coming in, I want to make it far in the tournament. And I also think I can win a championship with them.”
During his interview following his commitment, he talked about how both he and Hurley are winners and how they will be a good fit together. Being a winner was true on both the high school and AAU levels. He helped Wheeler High School win the Georgia 6A High School Championship.
At the Adidas 3SSB Championship over the summer, he helped lead Game Elite with averages of 15.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game while shooting 50% from the floor and 33.8% from 3-point range. He knocked down 46% of his open catch-and-shoot 3-pointers, which Finklestein noted that it gives him “extreme gravity as a floor-spacer.”
Landrew received even more attention when he was invited and attended the Team USA Junior National Team minicamp in Colorado Springs this past weekend.
“I am bringing a dog, [a] three-level scorer, so let’s get to it,” Landrew said.
That sounds like a type of wing that Hurley likes to go after, even though he shot 1-15 on shots off-the-dribble.
“There’s a clear confidence, though, and if he becomes a truly knockdown [type-of] shot-maker, it unlocks a lot of higher upside outcomes,” Finklestein said.
With the Huskies’ defense not meeting expectations last year, it was important for UConn to go after players who would help them on that end of the floor.
“He has good hands (1.3 steals per game), great strength and balance in his lower body, but lacks ideal foot speed, so more switchable up the line-up than down,” Finklestein wrote.
If his defense is as good as the comparisons he has gotten to 2024 national champion Stephon Castle, Connecticut will have a monster on both ends of the court.
“Defensively, I think he’s a really good positional rebounder already,” Finklestein said following the commitment. “He moves his feet well for his size…I think there’s going to be some defensive versatility there as well.”
With Landrew’s commitment, three scholarship spots remain open for the 2026-27 season. They are well in the mix of five-star point guard Dylan Mingo but can also turn their attention to the transfer portal. According to Hearst’s Dave Borges, Landrew is likely to be the final high school commitment for the 2026-27 roster.
Landrew’s message to UConn fans said: “I’m just ready to get there. Get excited. I’m ready to go. I’m ready to win another national championship.”