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5-star F Emmanuel Akot will join Arizona next season after reclassifying

Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports

It's been a great 24 hours for Sean Miller and Arizona.

On Sunday, standout guard Rawle Alkins announced he was withdrawing from the NBA draft and returning to school. Miller added more firepower on Monday as five-star forward Emmanuel Akot told ESPN's Jeff Goodman that he's reclassifying from the class of 2018 to 2017 and joining the Wildcats for the upcoming season.

Akot, who committed to Arizona in March, was the 21st-ranked player on the ESPN 60 for the class of 2018, and the fourth-best small forward prospect. The 6-foot-6, 185-pounder plays his high school basketball at Wasatch Academy in Utah, and was heavily recruited by a number of other schools including Oregon, Louisville, and Utah.

With the decision to head to college this fall, Akot joins a banner recruiting class for Miller and the Wildcats, who already snagged center DeAndre Ayton, the No. 2 recruit in the country.

Player Position Rating/100 National Rank
DeAndre Ayton C 97 2nd
Emmanuel Akot SF 90 21st (2018)
Brandon Randolph SG 89 35th
Ira Lee PF 85 66th
Alex Barcello SG 83 93rd

Adding a loaded recruiting class to a very strong returning roster that includes Alkins and leading scorer Allonzo Trier certainly makes Arizona among the favorites for the NCAA title.

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