It’s another typical group of centers for the 2013 draft. At least that’s how I would describe the returning players. The freshmen could actually be something special. The reason is there are so many highly-rated centers in the 2012 recruiting class. Five of the top 8 players and 11 of the top 40 are listed as centers. That’s way out of the norm. The previous 5 classes had 5 centers total in the top 8 and never more than 7 in the top 40 in any one year. So the 2013 incoming freshmen center class comes in with depth and potential rarely seen. Recruiting classes can be fickle though. All the players are a long way from being complete and a lot of wrong things can happen on their way there. But the sheer number of highly-touted prospects makes it likely that there will be one or two freshmen centers who emerge as the top prospect(s) for the 2013 draft.
Since this piece is focusing on the returning centers, it won’t be as glowing. There are a couple of sophs, Alex Len and Amir Williams, who hold some promise. Other than that 2013 features a typically starless group of centers. Many of them are old for college players, but all have shown enough that they’re worth keeping an eye on. Some will improve enough in 2013 to get themselves into the first round discussion.