Providence had a litany of news drop all in one day this past Wednesday: the Maui Invitational formally announced, the Big East schedule getting prematurely leaked, and then Caleb Holt announcing he is officially visiting on September 19th. That was the proverbial cherry on top.
Holt is a legitimate 5 star, one and done candidate. He may be considered the best shooting guard in his class. Providence getting him to visit shouldn’t be diminished. PC isn’t a blue blood that gets these type of kids on campus often. He is a program changing recruit and has an extremely legitimate case to be the #1 draft pick in the 2027 NBA Draft.
We break down his recruitment, his game, and what the impact of a commitment would be to the team, program, and school.
Recruiting Overview
When English was visiting the state of Florida a few days prior to this official visit announcement, I was left scratching my head about who he was visiting, but news leaked shortly thereafter. With Jamier Jones in the fold, maybe Kim English is trying to set up a recurring pipeline from The Sunshine State to Friartown. Holt plays for Prolific Prep based in Fort Lauderdale, but is originally from the state of Alabama.
Caleb Holt is considered to be the #3 overall player in his class according to the 247 composite. He is behind Tyran Stokes and Jordan Smith and deemed the #1 shooting guard in his class. Stokes is more of your big bodied 3/4 while Smitty is your do-everything combo guard. Jordan Smith is awesome, as an aside, if you want to watch a guy play who absolutely loves basketball.
Holt is being pursued by legitimately every top program in the country, so to land an official visit from him is unheard of if you are PC. Providence will battle the Dukes, Bamas, Arkansas, and Kentucky’s of the world, but when you get a kid on campus, crazier things have happened than him choosing a school like Providence.
Holt just recently visited Alabama and has local ties there, as he is from the state of Alabama. This will be one of many visits for Holt to perennial Top 10 basketball powers (yes, that still feels weird to write about Alabama, but Oats has that thing humming down there).
If Holt were to pledge a commitment to Providence, the floodgates open for PC to arguably land the top recruiting class in the country. This would not be a one-off 5 star committing. Him joining would likely incentivize Top 30 recruit Abdou Toure and Top 75 recruit Alex Egbuonu to join the fold in Friartown. I’d also use it as a springboard if I’m Kim English to shoot my shot with a few 4/5 star bigs and point guards who want to join a “super class”. Yes, a #1 overall class would be a possibility if Holt joins. It’s okay to dream!
Providence Team Fit
Would Holt start Day 1 at PC? Almost certainly. While Rich Barron and Ryan Mela would be returning and have a vast amount of Big East experience, there are enough minutes departing with Sellers and Floyd Jr. losing eligibility after this year where one of Mela/Barron could start alongside Holt. The eligibility of Jason Edwards after this year is a weirdly little discussed topic in Friartown (JuCo and Diego Pavia rule), but the assumption is he will also be gone after the 2025-2026 season.
We have still yet to see what Jamier Jones, Stefan Vaaks, and Jaylen Harrell can do at the collegiate level, but I’d imagine Jamier is more likely to be penciled in to a starting 3/4 spot, Harrell competing for a starting 2/3 spot in 2026 with the aforementioned duo above, and Vaaks competing for time at the 1-3.
Game Analysis
Holt is an all-around two guard. He has ideal size at 6’5 and uses his plus size to both create at the rim against the opposition while also being able to shoot over the top of a defense. It is tough to find a “complete shooting guard” coming out of high school, but Holt is pretty close to that. Holt can really shoot it from deep, which was a point of emphasis in his development this offseason from what I’ve read and heard. When you combine that burgeoning skillset with his ability to play downhill, you see why he’s considered a Top 5 potential pick in the 2027 NBA Draft.
I also love that Holt isn’t afraid to offensively play in the post and mid-range. It’s somewhat of a lost art in this modern day “3’s and lay-ups” era, but Holt has a propensity to hit floaters, make the mid-range, and post up his opponent on the block if he sees a tactical advantage. I point this out just to show the layers and nuances of his game.
Defensively, Holt uses his athleticism and length to get into passing lanes and cause turnovers and deflections. I can’t quite make the jump to comping him to Kris Dunn defensively, but you see the height, frame, and quickness, and you don’t have to squint too hard to see the similarities on the defensive end.
His anticipation on the defensive end is something you can’t teach. As much of a joy as he is to watch offensively, he may be more entertaining to watch on the defensive end.
I’ve lamented for awhile now that too many of our players historically needed a good offensive system and design from the staff to manufacture offense. Providence hasn’t had enough players who could go get their own look and hunt a bucket 1 on 1 if a play breaks down. Holt can do that. He has a good handle and doesn’t need a play design to manufacture offense. Holt can bail an offense out in the half court set.
BOC’s Thoughts on Recruitment
If I were a gambling man, I would say Alabama is the odds-on favorite to win this commitment. Nate Oats runs an elite basketball program, has had March success, and has the hometown school ties with Holt. However, Holt may be looking to blaze his own path, and you simply cannot overlook how important it is to get a recruit on campus. Something may click while on campus, and it is notable that Providence is a vastly dissimilar campus and environment than State School U. For better or worse, it is going to be a dramatically different official visit experience, and PC should know where it stands shortly thereafter.
The interesting dynamic here is that Providence is obviously without a football program, so this may be one of the few times where Providence can offer more to a recruit via NIL than the Kentuckys and Bamas of the world because so much of those school’s revenue share is tied to football. That is something to certainly monitor and creates a unique component to this recruitment.
I’m not going to hold my breath on this one, but even getting Holt to visit is a positive and a testament to the work English and staff are putting on the trail. Hopefully, Caleb enjoys his time in Friartown and can see just how passionate the city of Providence is for Friar basketball.
If Holt does come to Providence, barring injury, he will be the second player under English at Providence to go in the first round of the NBA Draft. These things matter, and Kim can point to his making the league along with putting guys in the league as a springboard to continue to land elite talent.
Providence is playing with house money here, and I’m excited to hear about how this recruitment pans out.
Providence Recruiting Articles
Crier Recruiting Corner – Introducing 2026 G Ryan Moesch – https://theprovidencecrier.com/2025/08/20/crier-recruiting-corner-introducing-2026-pg-ryan-moesch/
Crier Recruiting Corner – Introducing 2026 F Quinn Costello – https://theprovidencecrier.com/2025/06/24/crier-recruiting-corner-introducing-2026-f-quinn-costello/
2027 High School Recruiting Primer, Version 2 – https://theprovidencecrier.com/2025/06/17/2027-high-school-recruiting-primer-version-1-0/
Crier Recruiting Corner – Introducing 2026 F Alex Egbuonu – https://theprovidencecrier.com/2025/06/25/crier-recruiting-corner-26-f-alex-egbuonu/
Peteris Pinnis Commits to Providence: https://theprovidencecrier.com/2025/05/13/friars-add-latvian-big-pinnis-to-2024-2025/
Duncan Powell Flips to Providence: https://theprovidencecrier.com/2025/04/21/duncan-powell-flips-commitment-from-georgetown-to-providence/
Jaylin Sellers Commits to Providence: https://theprovidencecrier.com/2025/04/05/friars-end-historic-day-by-landing-ucf-guard-jaylin-sellers/
Jason Edwards Commits to Providence: https://theprovidencecrier.com/2025/04/04/friars-land-talented-vanderbilt-guard-jason-edwards/
Stefan Vaaks Commits to Providence: https://theprovidencecrier.com/2025/04/04/friars-recruiting-overseas-best-kept-international-secret-stefan-vaaks-joins-the-friars-for-2025-season/
Crier Recruiting Corner: Jason Edwards:https://theprovidencecrier.com/2025/04/04/crier-recruiting-corner-introducing-vanderbilt-guard-jason-edwards/
Daquan Davis Commits to Providence:https://theprovidencecrier.com/2025/04/02/second-time-is-the-charm-one-time-friar-commit-daquan-davis-transfers-to-providence/
Crier Recruiting Corner – Introducing Cole Hargrove: https://theprovidencecrier.com/2025/04/01/crier-recruiting-corner-introducing-drexel-forward-cole-hargrove/
Retention Attention: https://theprovidencecrier.com/2025/03/22/retention-attention-whos-in-whos-out-in-providence/
What Went Wrong 2024-2025 Season: https://theprovidencecrier.com/2025/03/12/what-went-wrong-this-season/
Crier Recruiting Corner: Abdou Toure: https://theprovidencecrier.com/2025/03/03/crier-recruiting-corner-introducing-2026-connecticut-wing-abdou-toure/
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