The UConn men’s basketball program landed its second recruit in the 2026 high school class on Wednesday.
Colben Landrew, a 6-foot-6, 205-pound wing and a consensus four-star prospect from Wheeler High in Georgia, threw a red Huskies hat on to a rousing ovation in his high school gym as he made his commitment live to CBS Sports’ Adam Finkelstein. He chose UConn over a final six that included Louisville, Purdue, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Texas A&M.
“Just going to their practice, seeing how Coach (Dan) Hurley pushes his team, he doesn’t let up at all and I just feel like going into the future I need that. He’s a really good coach and I want to compete for a winning program and I know that, from his background, he wins and I’m a winner so I feel like we’ll be a great fit together,” Landrew said.
Landrew starred as a wide receiver on the football team at Thompson High in Alabaster, Alabama, before he decided to focus solely on basketball and transferred to Wheeler, which has produced NBA talent like Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown and Isaiah Collier of the Utah Jazz, a good friend of Stephon Castle.
With his big frame and 6-foot-10 wingspan, Landrew fits the archetype of a typical Dan Hurley recruit. He is ranked No. 21 in the class by 247Sports and No. 26 by Rivals.
“(UConn fans are getting) a dog, a three-level scorer, willing to do everything to win,” he said of his game. “Let’s get to it.”
Scouting Colben Landrew:
▪️Big-bodied wing with guard skills▪️Long, strong, & physical▪️Shooting gravity▪️Secondary creation▪️High basketball IQ
🗣️ 2:30 ET https://t.co/MBecPmPXto pic.twitter.com/5E65iyo4ti
— Adam Finkelstein (@AdamFinkelstein) October 15, 2025
Ranked No. 63 by ESPN in August, Landrew saw his stock rise playing for Game Elite on the Adidas 3Stripes Select (3SSB) grassroots circuit, where he averaged 15.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Continuing to improve as a shooter, he shot 56% from the field, 85.9% from the foul line and 34.4% from beyond the arc, knocking down 46% of his open catch-and-shoot 3s, according to 247Sports.
“Landrew is a big-bodied wing with developing guard skills… he has a powerful frame from head-to-toe rooted in his years spent on the football field. He brings that same physicality and toughness to the hardwood, but now that he’s focusing exclusively on basketball, his game is starting to blossom at a rapid rate. He’s an ascending shooter with very soft natural touch,” Finkelstein wrote in his 247Sports scouting report. “He’s smart, multi-positional, physical, can grab and go, and offer some secondary creation.”
Landrew joins top-50 guard Junior County in UConn’s 2026 recruiting class.
Why Dan Hurley says UConn’s roster is ‘screaming’ for emergence of Jayden Ross, Jaylin Stewart
Originally Published: October 15, 2025 at 2:46 PM EDT
