UConn men's basketball lands first recruit in Class of 2026

Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant on Oct 2, 2025

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HARTFORD, Conn. — The first commit is on the board for the UConn men’s basketball program in its 2026 recruiting class.

Junior County, a 6-foot-4 guard from Wasatch Academy in Utah, made his decision to join the Huskies on Thursday, according to multiple reports. A consensus four-star prospect, County is ranked No. 29 in his class by 247Sports and No. 43 by ESPN.

With a final list of five schools, including Arizona, Indiana, Maryland and Purdue, County was sold on the Huskies after making his final official visit last weekend.

“It was the feeling I got while watching practice, talking to [coach Dan] Hurley and going around campus,” County told ESPN. “I believe I’ll be able to develop and grow into the best version of myself while I’m there.”

County is described as “strong and physical with long arms and loads of winning intangibles” by 247Sports Director of Scouting, Adam Finkelstein, who wrote: “his size, length, strength, two-way versatility, high basketball IQ, and competitive intangibles all (allow) him to impact winning in a wide variety of ways.”

The Utah native stood out on the Nike EYBL circuit as he averaged 13.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists playing for the Utah Prospects last spring and summer. According to ESPN, he had two 20-point games and two games.

County is the type of big guard Hurley and his staff will continue to look for to fit in their system. He can defend multiple positions and is ever-improving as a ball-handler and as a 3-point shooter, according to multiple scouting reports.

Looking for one or two commits this fall, the Huskies remain in the mix for additional 2026 recruits, like five-star, 6-foot-5 point guard Dylan Mingo and a pair of 6-foot-6 wings in Qayden Samuels and Colben Landrew. Mingo and Samuels each visited in September and Landrew, a four-star, top-30 prospect, is scheduled to make his trip to Storrs this weekend.