Despite only being a junior in high school, Walker Kessler was a very important visitor to the West End last weekend.
The 2020 Class is one that the Vanderbilt staff has been looking forward to for almost a year. It has offered eight top fifity players in the group and thirteen in the Top 150. The centerpiece is seven-footer.
The five-star prospect is ranked No. 10 overall, and has offers from Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, Cincinnati, Xavier, Georgia, Auburn, Florida, Ole Miss, Stanford, Wake Forest, Illinois, Memphis, St. John's, Creighton, UCLA, Tennessee, Virginia, and Clemson.
Not only does Bryce Drew and his staff have to be thrilled to get Kessler on campus, the excitement level has to go through the roof when one considers this was his first official visit, and for now there are no others planned.
VandySports.com chatted with Russ Powell Tuesday afternoon, Kessler's coach with Game Elite 2020 Florida Gold. Powell spoke with the family after they returned home from Nashville, and shared the details of the trip with us.
"The visit went well. They were very impressed with everything. One thing that really caught their eye was the strength and conditioning program. Walker had a good feeling about Vanderbilt from the trip. Everything there was at the top of the charts. He had a very good time."
Powell says Kessler is the quiet type, but he knows enough about the situation to know where the youngster stands with the coaches.
"They have let Walker know he is at the top if not the top priority. Walker keeps things in. He's not going to elaborate much, he I do know that he is important to them."
Kessler is basically hearing from every school in the nation. We asked Coach Powell why he chose the Commodores for his first and only visit thus far.
"They have done a good job recruiting him, " Powell responded. "Between the way they have recruited him plus the academics, that is the place he waned to go. He really likes the strength and conditioning program there as well. Nashville is also close to Atlanta."
As we said Kessler has no other visits planned. That should be a positive for Vandy, but that doesn't mean he isn't seeing a lot of coaches face to face either.
"He has not other visits planned. " Powell explained. "He is still going through the proce
ss. He has a lot of coaches coming in everyday to see him. He had another visit scheduled for next weekend, but he decided not to go. He is tired. Walker is talking to coaches constantly and texting. Coaches come in all day long on in-home visits. There is somebody different coming in everyday."
We asked Powell which coaches have made the trip to the Greater Atlanta area to see Kessler, and he asked if we had all day. Powell said all of the attention in no surprise.
"He is still in the process of feeling everything out. He is wide open, but a lot of schools really like him. He is a unique package There aren't many seven-footers around with his skill set. he can do a lot of things. He wants to hear how the different coaches will use his skills."
Rivals' Eric Bossi has seen him numerous times, and certainly doesn't disagree with the coach's assessment.
"He has it all. Kessler is skilled, can shoot with deep range, plays hard, rebounds and has plenty of athleticism to go with everything else. The only problem I had watching him play was that he wasn't getting the ball enough. He's too advanced and too good on the 16U level to not get a touch each time down the floor."
There has also been some talk that an elite talent like Kessler with outstanding grades might reclassify to the 2019 Class, but Powell isn't so sure that will happen.
"They haven't said anything about that. They talk a lot about things like that, and I haven't asked. But I don't think he would do something like that."
The 2020 Class is one that the Vanderbilt staff has been looking forward to for almost a year. It has offered eight top fifity players in the group and thirteen in the Top 150. The centerpiece is seven-footer.
The five-star prospect is ranked No. 10 overall, and has offers from Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, Cincinnati, Xavier, Georgia, Auburn, Florida, Ole Miss, Stanford, Wake Forest, Illinois, Memphis, St. John's, Creighton, UCLA, Tennessee, Virginia, and Clemson.
Not only does Bryce Drew and his staff have to be thrilled to get Kessler on campus, the excitement level has to go through the roof when one considers this was his first official visit, and for now there are no others planned.
VandySports.com chatted with Russ Powell Tuesday afternoon, Kessler's coach with Game Elite 2020 Florida Gold. Powell spoke with the family after they returned home from Nashville, and shared the details of the trip with us.
"The visit went well. They were very impressed with everything. One thing that really caught their eye was the strength and conditioning program. Walker had a good feeling about Vanderbilt from the trip. Everything there was at the top of the charts. He had a very good time."
Powell says Kessler is the quiet type, but he knows enough about the situation to know where the youngster stands with the coaches.
"They have let Walker know he is at the top if not the top priority. Walker keeps things in. He's not going to elaborate much, he I do know that he is important to them."
Kessler is basically hearing from every school in the nation. We asked Coach Powell why he chose the Commodores for his first and only visit thus far.
"They have done a good job recruiting him, " Powell responded. "Between the way they have recruited him plus the academics, that is the place he waned to go. He really likes the strength and conditioning program there as well. Nashville is also close to Atlanta."
As we said Kessler has no other visits planned. That should be a positive for Vandy, but that doesn't mean he isn't seeing a lot of coaches face to face either.
"He has not other visits planned. " Powell explained. "He is still going through the proce
ss. He has a lot of coaches coming in everyday to see him. He had another visit scheduled for next weekend, but he decided not to go. He is tired. Walker is talking to coaches constantly and texting. Coaches come in all day long on in-home visits. There is somebody different coming in everyday."
We asked Powell which coaches have made the trip to the Greater Atlanta area to see Kessler, and he asked if we had all day. Powell said all of the attention in no surprise.
"He is still in the process of feeling everything out. He is wide open, but a lot of schools really like him. He is a unique package There aren't many seven-footers around with his skill set. he can do a lot of things. He wants to hear how the different coaches will use his skills."
Rivals' Eric Bossi has seen him numerous times, and certainly doesn't disagree with the coach's assessment.
"He has it all. Kessler is skilled, can shoot with deep range, plays hard, rebounds and has plenty of athleticism to go with everything else. The only problem I had watching him play was that he wasn't getting the ball enough. He's too advanced and too good on the 16U level to not get a touch each time down the floor."
There has also been some talk that an elite talent like Kessler with outstanding grades might reclassify to the 2019 Class, but Powell isn't so sure that will happen.
"They haven't said anything about that. They talk a lot about things like that, and I haven't asked. But I don't think he would do something like that."
