Seems like the myth that Cronin can't recruit is spreading again. What is this based on? Speculation by some podcast that we won't be getting one highly sought after transfer? It can't be based on this:
2019 - Retained the previous coaches recruiting class including Jaquez who he recruited at Cincinnati. They all could have gone elsewhere.
2020 - Got Johnny Juzang to transfer and Jaylen Clark and Mac Etienne, all 4-stars. He also had a commitment from a 5-star, Daishen Nix, who turned pro instead of enrolling.
2021 - Had the 11th rated recruiting class (RSCI) with Peyton Watson, a 5-star and Will McClendon, a 4-star. Also got Myles Johnson, a Big Ten All-Defensive Team player.
2022 - Had the 5th rated recruiting class with two 5-stars, Bona and Bailey and a 4-star, Andrews.
2023 - Had the 14th rated recruiting class with three 4-stars, Mack, D. Williams, B. Williams and three Euros who turned out to be pretty good college players, Vide, Buyuktuncel and Mara. This is when NIL became a big factor in recruiting and UCLA got caught short, forcing them to go to the internationals who weren't eligible for NIL money.
2024 - Two high school 4-stars, Freeny and Perry plus five 4-star transfers (ranked #9), K. Johnson, Clark, Kyle, Bilodeau and Dailey.
2025 - One 5-star, one 4-star and two 3-star transfers (ranked #18) and one unrated high school recruit .
2026 - One high school 4-star, Joe Philon, and one 3-star from Georgia. Currently #12 in transfer rankings with two 4-stars and two 3-stars. On3, which uses a different criteria, net gain in NIL value, has us #3.
So only the high school class of 2025 wasn't very good. All the previous Cronin recruiting classes were quite good with multiple 4-stars and some 5-stars mixed in. That several of the players disappointed is irrelevant. This is about recruiting. Many schools wanted them. So one can't judge Cronin's recruiting ability on one year. One also cannot criticize Cronin's recruiting without knowing exactly how much NIL is available. That is now the major factor in recruiting success. The current transfers may not be big names, but they fill specific needs: rebounding, athleticism, defense and depth. Until the recruiting for next season is done, it certainly isn't fair to claim Cronin can't recruit based on not getting one or two expensive players. Facts above say otherwise.