The former Husker was officially signed to a two-year contract by the Boston Celtics on Sunday which is reported to be
worth more than $4.2 million.
Having started his NBA career with the Toronto Raptors after being a second-round pick in the 2021 draft, the 6-9 guard has
been impressing on the Celtics summer league squad.
He’s been averaging 15 points, six rebounds and four assists per game for the Celtics team. He’s coming off an 18-point
performance against the Knicks.
Banton appeared in 31 games with the Raptors last season and averaged 4.6 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 9.0
minutes per game. In 64 games as a rookie, he averaged 3.2 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 10.9 minutes per game
during the 2021-22 season. He also appeared in seven regular season games (all starts) with Raptors 905 where he averaged
24.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 1.4 steals in 33.6 minutes.
In his sophomore season at Nebraska, he averaged 9.6 points, team highs of 5.9 rebounds and 3.9 assists, and 27.2 minutes
in 27 games, becoming the first player since 1974 to lead the Huskers in both rebounding and assists. A native of Toronto,
Banton was selected with the 46th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, becoming the first Canadian selected by the Raptors
in the draft.
Arkansas continues to make a splash in wide receiver recruiting as its group stands out among the nation’s best, and the
Razorbacks might not be done adding playmakers to their offense during the 2024 cycle, says 247Sports director of
recruiting Steve Wiltfong. It is not the only program loading up on firepower, though, as Nebraska already boasts the No. 16
class in the team recruiting rankings and is trending for two more blue-chip prospects.
“When you look at Matt Rhule’s career — what he did at Baylor, what he did at Temple — you talk to people around the
program, they say that this has a chance to be their best recruiting class of all-time anywhere they’ve been,” Wiltfong said of
the Huskers’ head coach on Thursday’s episode of The College Football Recruiting Show.
Following the hazing issue at Northwestern, Wiltfong also talked about the difficulties and prospects of recruiting there. He
also gave an early preview of who might be the most intriguing quarterback in the 2026 class.
READ RELATED ARTICLE:
-STAR RB TAYLOR TATUM NEARING A DECISION:
“I had a chance to talk with Taylor Tatum earlier today, and he was trying to narrow it down from USC and Oklahoma to
that lucky one. He’s giving himself until Saturday, so he’s still in limbo between these two programs. He spoke highly about
each school. For USC, who got the first official visit of the two the first week in June, he talked about Lincoln Riley’s offense,
said it’s hard to deny an offense like that… Oklahoma got him back to campus the weekend of June 16th. He’s excited about
the opportunity to play in the SEC not only for football, but for baseball.”
ARKANSAS TARGETING IMPACTFUL DUO OF SELMAN BRIDGES, BRAYLEN RUSSELL:
“This is one school to watch that can maybe make the next big step in college football, perhaps remind us of those early 2010
teams that went to the Cotton Bowl and the Sugar Bowl, and these are two more recruits that can help them get
there. Braylen Russell ran for over 1,600 yards and 26 touchdowns as a junior. Can also catch the football; 224 yards
receiving. Selman Bridges: 6-foot-3, tremendous length, a smooth corner. Arkansas ranked 130th against the pass last
year. He’s someone that would certainly help the trajectory on the defensive side of the ball.”
ARKANSAS BUILDING ELITE WIDE RECEIVER CLASS:
“This cycle, Arkansas is recruiting the [wide receiver] position at an extremely high level. One of the best hauls in the land. A
trio of pass-catchers who will be an absolute problem in the SEC. Arkansas, they’ve had one of the most prolific offenses in
the country — top 15 last year. Courtney Crutchfield, let’s start there; 17 receptions for 517 yards and nine touchdowns.
That’s pretty good. That’s over 30 yards a grab, and every less than two catches he’s in the end zone. Also played defense,
forced three fumbles, picked off two passes. Very physical. He’s an explosive player, very instinctual and obviously
dangerous when the football is in his hands.
“Then you have Ashton Bethel-Roman, the son of 10-year NFL veteran Mark Roman; 37 catches, 900 yards, eight scores.
He had over 24 yards a catch last year, 23-foot long jumper, so similar to Courtney Crutchfield; when they catch the ball,
they’ve got a chance to light up the scoreboard, and they’re just very explosive players. Let’s not forget CJ Brown from in-
state; 75 catches, 16 touchdowns, averaged over 17 yards a catch. He’s maybe the fastest of that group.”
NORTHWESTERN FACING RECRUITING CHALLENGES AFTER HAZING SCANDAL:
“In the short-term, any time you don’t have your future in place, it’s going to make recruits worry about what this program is
going to look like down the road, so no surprise that there’s been decommitments. That happens with any and every
program whenever they’re going through a coaching change. But when you think about Northwestern moving forward and
what they offer a student-athlete, this is a very exciting job on the recruiting trail. Some people say academic restrictions are
a negative on the trail; I say it’s a positive.”
NEBRASKA TRENDING FOR 4-STAR IOL PRESTON TAUMUA:
“There was a time when Oregon looked like they were in fantastic position here. I know he enjoyed his official visit to
Auburn. But the trip to Nebraska, the opportunity to play for Matt Rhule and company, what they’re building in Lincoln, I
think excites him. When you look at Matt Rhule’s career — what he did at Baylor, what he did at Temple — you talk to people
around the program, they say that this has a chance to be their best recruiting class of all-time anywhere they’ve been.”
IN-STATE 4-STAR LB CHRISTIAN JONES HIGH ON HUSKERS:
“This is obviously one of the best athletes in the Midwest; 6-foot-3, 210 pounds. A long, rangy second level defender that has
some of the best programs in the country recruiting him. I talked to him this week. He told me Nebraska has set the tone in
his process. He’s also high on Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Oklahoma to name a few others. May visit Tennessee at the end of
this month. But he pointed to the way Nebraska’s recruiting those in-state kids like Daniel Kaelin, making them a priority.
He also loved the coaching staff and the cohesiveness, how they work together so well.”
2026 QB JULIAN LEWIS PRIMED FOR BIG SOPHOMORE YEAR:
“He threw for over 4,000 yards and 48 touchdowns as a freshman. A very anticipated season. He’s been on my radar since
he was in the seventh grade. I saw him at a QB Collective event in Indianapolis when he was going into middle school. So
he’s a guy that college coaches have known about for a long time. He’s camped. And he lived up to that billing in that first
season leading Carrollton High to the state championship game. His high school coach, Joey King, also coached Trevor
Lawrence through his high school football career.
“He put out his top eight. Three schools that I’m keeping an eye on early for him right now. You have Georgia — he’s been
there the most. They’re the closest program. He likes Mike Bobo and Kirby Smart. You have Alabama — been there
several times, as well. Bama is Bama. He’s said that he likes Nick Saban. He’s starting to connect with new offensive
coordinator Tommy Rees. The program I think I like the most right now for Julian Lewis is USC. He’s been out there three
times, looking to get back there for a game this fall. He’s gotten a lot of one-on-one time on his visits with Lincoln Riley.”
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