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Andy Enfield and SMU landed their first commitment of the 2025 recruiting cycle on Wednesday, when Jermaine O’Neal Jr., son of the former NBA All-Star by the same name. announced his intentions to sign with the Mustangs. Below, Rivals national analyst Rob Cassidy explores the game a lofty ceiling of the 6-foot-5 O’Neal, who chose SMU over fellow finalist Vanderbilt and a number of other offers.
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WHAT SMU IS GETTING
O’Neal’s development has been a bit up-and-down since he burst on the scene a few years back, but the forward’s recent trajectory has been encouraging. The 6-foot-5 wing has long possessed good positional size, but he’s become a more reliable long-range shooter and more fluid with the ball on his hands on the perimeter this year. He shined mostly in a catch-and-shoot role at Pangos All-American Camp this summer but also showed some signs of shot creation.
O’Neal needs to add additional muscle to become the kind of factor he could be on the boards and in the offensive post, but his long-term potential is obvious to anyone that has watched him. If he becomes significantly stronger and more assertive in the year ahead, he could find himself with a defined role upon arriving at SMU.
WHAT IT MEANS FOR THE MUSTANGS
While O’Neal might not be a polished prospect as things stand, his length, range and overall upside suggests he’s a player that can greatly impact ACC games down the road. The fact that his name carries a certain level of gravitas is worth something as well, especially for a program preparing to play its first season in a high-major conference.
If O’Neal develops quickly under new head coach Andy Enfield, he could act as a bell cow of sorts and snatch headlines for a Mustangs program that has qualified for the NCAA tournament just twice since 1993. The road to prominence won’t be easy for SMU, so keeping in-state priority targets home will be paramount. This is a good start on that front.