HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky -- After the commitment of our #3 ranked prospect in Kentucky, Mason Faulkner, it was clear that the new staff at Northern Kentucky was on a roll on the recruiting trail. NKU, who recently moved to the Horizon League, is now on their second head coach since making the jump to Division 1 basketball prior to the 2012-13 season. John Brannen, David Ragland, Ronald Nored, and Sean Dwyer have made an immediate impact.

Then, it went to another level. The staff at NKU swooped in and secured a commitment from Carson Williams on Wednesday, one of the best mid major prospects in the Midwest. He chose the Norse over offers from Oklahoma State, Miami (OH), St. Joes (PA), EKU, Bowling Green, and Ohio.

When asked what made him commit to Northern Kentucky, Carson had this to say: “I really like Coach Brannen and the rest of the staff there.  They are going to put myself and the other recruits in a position to succeed.  It's close to home and the facilities are top notch. Moving to the much stronger Horizon League is also a big positive.”

NKU’s class of 5 is currently comprised of 2 kids from Kentucky, 2 from Ohio, and 1 from St. Louis. It is easily one of the best mid-major classes in the country for the class of 2016 and should stay that way after the recruiting cycle has completed.

Blake Spellman is a solid point guard who controls the pace of the game. Jalen Tate (Pickerington Central) is a wiry wing who can do a little bit of everything. Dantez Walton (Lima CC) is a stretch forward with a pretty jumpshot. Mason Faulkner (Caverna) is one of our favorite players in the state and can score at a high level. New addition Carson Williams (Owen County) is everything you want in a forward along with the ability to beast in the paint.

We talked to all of NKU’s commits on what was important to them about the up and coming program, here’s what they said:

Earlier in the week Mason Faulkner told us: “I have developed a great relationship with Coach Brannen and the rest of the guys. NKU has a great campus life and my relationships with the current teammates that they have on their roster is really good.  It truly feels like my home away from home and I couldn’t be more happy."

Jalen Tate had similar praise on his commitment to NKU: “It was just a great fit. The coaching staff was phenomenal and they are going to get me where I need to be.”

When asked to comment, Blake Spellman said, "I chose NKU because I really feel the coaches are amazing. NKU is on the way up."

Dantez Walton told us, "I chose NKU because they made me feel like home. I felt I could come in and be a big part of the success which I believe is coming very soon."

A common theme when talking to the players is that a relationship with the coaching staff was big and all the players are BIG fans of their future coaches. The staff here at Next Up Recruits believes fully that Northern Kentucky is getting not just one, but multiple steals in their 2016 class. We also believe that John Brannen and staff have gotten Northern Kentucky off to the start they need to hit the ground running in the Horizon League.

Photo: The Northerner