With mid-major powers Murray State and Belmont in play, the Ohio Valley Conference is always a conference to keep an eye on. Both the Racers and the Bruins have done a great job over the years of recruiting to their system and producing talent.

On the other hand, a couple of other schools in the conference have seen success, too. Denver Nuggets power forward Kenneth Faried burst onto the scene at Morehead State. His success has made Morehead a considerable option for many prospects. UT-Martin is on the upswing after a phenomenal year last season, where they finished with 21 wins after an eight-win season the year before.

Despite a new face running the show at Murray State this season, the Racers currently have the top recruiting class in the conference. Matt McMahon has done a great job of picking up the pieces and continuing where Steve Prohm left off before exiting for Iowa State. They have several guys that fit the system and should be impact guys from Day 1.

North Carolina guard Dondre Griffin was the most recent prospect to make his pledge to the Racers. The 6-foot-3 combo guard will bring versatility and scoring to the Murray State backcourt. He looks to be the successor of senior guard Jeffrey Moss, which will be big shoes to fill for any incoming guard. He turned down some high-major interest and opted for Murray State a few weeks ago.

They also have a couple of versatile forwards in power forward Jalen Dupre and Gilbert Thomas. Both guys will help solidify the frontcourt for Murray State in the future.

Before being fired at Mississippi State, Rick Ray was beginning to figure things out on the recruiting trail. Fast-forward to now, and he is beginning to assemble the future at Southeast Missouri State. Ray and his staff have picked up commitments from guards Ray Kowalski and Denzel Mahoney. Kowalski has made his mark as one of the best three-point specialists on the East coast. Expect him to drain some shots for SEMO over the next few years.

Morehead State has a couple of guards to add to their backcourt this week. The Eagles have pledges from Jordan Walker and Djimon Henson, both from Indiana. They should help fill the voids in the lineup due to graduation.

Belmont currently only has one commitment, but boy is it a good one. Fayetteville (TN) point guard Nick Hopkins doesn’t live far from Nashville, so when the Belmont offer came, it was hard for the in-state guard to turn down the opportunity. He has a winning pedigree, as he was a part of the Georgia Stars squad that won the Nike Peach Jam in July. He has also led his high school team to the state playoffs over the years.

Garrett Tucker’s take: There’s nothing far-fetched in the OVC this year. As usual, you expect to see Murray State and Belmont at the top of the list. Overall, the conference has a solid nucleus for the early signing period. The only glaring disappointment at this point would be that five schools have yet to receive a commitment and may not sign anyone this week. That isn’t necessarily a good sign for some coaches. Hopefully they have zeroed-in on a couple of prospects and can get the job done this week and the weeks following the early signing period.

Biggest recruiting story: The new faces in the conference are getting things done. Matt McMahon was an assistant at Murray State before being named the head coach and he has things going in the same direction. He has a solid class going into this week and should add a few more guys in the spring. Rick Ray has a couple of guards that will be solid role guys for him at SEMO. Former Louisville assistant Dan McHale has a commitment in his first year on the job. Heath Schroyer is getting things going at UT-Martin. The new guys are getting things done early and often on the recruiting trail.

RANKING THE OVC RECRUITING CLASSES

1. Murray State
2. Southeast Missouri State
3. Morehead State
4. Belmont
5. SIU-Edwardsville
6. Tennessee Tech
7. UT-Martin
8. Eastern Kentucky
9T. Austin Peay
9T. Eastern Illinois
9T. Jacksonville State
9T. Tennessee State