The Cincinnati Bearcats have scheduled a visit with the No. 78 overall recruit in the class of 2027, 4-star Payton Jones, a 6-foot-2, 185-pound point guard from Beaumont, Texas. Jones currently holds offers from several high-level programs, including TCU, NC State, Missouri, Mississippi State, Maryland, LSU, Kansas State, Auburn, SMU, Oklahoma State, and Houston. Jones is only scheduled to meet with Cincinnati thus far, giving them the upper hand in the early recruiting cycle.
Jones attends Beaumont United High School, where he averaged 20.1 points per game, 5.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.3 steals per game. Beaumont United finished the regular season with a 36-4 record and advanced all the way to the Texas UIL Class 5A Division II state championship game, where they lost to Mansfield Summit 52-40. Although they did not win the state championship, Bearcats head coach Jerrod Calhoun has made it known that he wants to recruit winners, players who play well on good teams, not players who put up empty stats on bad teams. Jones fits this criteria perfectly and would be a fantastic piece for the Bearcats if he commits.
Beaumont United wasn't just led by Jones; they also featured 6-foot-7 forward Caleb McCreary and a 6-foot-9 forward, Ephriam Moore Jr., who holds offers from TCU, LSU, and Mississippi State.
The Bearcats currently have one commit from the class of 2027, Kam Mercer, who recently committed to 2028, where he was the No. 11 prospect overall. A backcourt shared between Mercer and Jones would likely mean Cincinnati basketball is back.
𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦: Payton Jones, the No. 78 overall recruit in the national 2027 class, has scheduled an official visit with #Cincinnati, a source tells @247Sports.
— Brandon Jenkins (@BJenkins247) June 2, 2026
The Bearcats offered the four-star guard following the May Live Period.
𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗙𝗜𝗟𝗘 https://t.co/ZcPGXCCSPH pic.twitter.com/N8zbD7dKd2
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