DePaul Blue Demons June recruiting roundup

It’s been an unexpectedly terrific spring for DePaul. They landed the services of Shane Hierman, a well-known coach from La Lumiere High School in Indianapolis, they landed top-flight recruit Tyger Campbell in May, and they were in it till the finish for five-star recruit Brian Bowen.

While Bowen wound up choosing Louisville, the fact that DePaul, who has won all but 11 conference games in the last three seasons, was chasing him down while grabbing a blue-chip recruit in Campbell indicates that maybe, just maybe, they’re close to turning a corner in Lincoln Park.

The month of June wasn’t super-duper active for DePaul, but some groundwork was still laid. Just two days ago, the Blue Demons offered a 2020 guard from nearby Romeoville, as Destin Whitaker garnered their attention. The Blue Demons were the first program to offer Whitaker, and while time will tell to see if his first offer will be his school of choice, they certainly aren’t shying away from looking way towards the future.

Local seems to be the move for DePaul this past month. The Blue Demons reached out to Normal’s Francis Okoro, the top player in the state of Illinois, and lobbed him a scholarship offer too. Okoro is a 2019 prospect and a big man who will be one to watch in the future, as he ranks ninth among power forwards and is a Top 50 recruit in America, ranking 44th. Chances are, you’ll probably hear his name more often, and keeping him in the state of Illinois will be a big priority for the Blue Demons going forward.

They haven’t closed the deal on anybody since Campbell’s commitment in May. With him and John Diener set to be brought in for 2018, a foundation has certainly been set. Given the looming state of the roster, there’ll be plenty of open spots available heading into next season and beyond.

So like with everything the past few years, scoping out DePaul’s recruiting game will take some patience, as June was pretty quiet on the homefront in Lincoln Park.