No. 22-ranked Langston Love commits to Baylor

Top-25 junior Langston Love committed to  Baylor on Wednesday, choosing the Bears over a long list of suitors.

Love took official visits to Stanford and Texas last fall, but he also had UCLA, Kansas, Arkansas,  Villanova,  Illinois,  Texas Tech, Texas A&M and Oklahoma State on his list.

"The reason I chose Baylor is because it is a Christian school, with high-caliber academics," Love told ESPN. "I also have developed a great relationship with the coaching staff and I'm impressed with the way they develop their guards."

Back in September 2018, Baylor was the first school to extend a scholarship offer to Love. The fact that coach Scott Drew and the Bears jumped out ahead of the competition stuck out to the Texas native.

"Baylor was the first school that gave me a chance to pursue my goal of playing at the next level," Love said. "They offered me a scholarship even though I was under the radar. They were the first to have faith and believe in me."

A 6-foot-4 guard who plays at Montverde Academy (Florida), Love is ranked No. 22 in the ESPN 100 for the 2021 class. He slots in as the No. 5 shooting guard.

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Love is a big, strong and powerful guard. He displays true three-level scoring ability, but is at his best when attacking the basket or shooting from the mid-range. He is a two-way player who brings a high-level of production.

Love played behind the likes of Cade Cunningham (Oklahoma State) and Scottie Barnes ( Florida State), both top-five recruits in the 2020 class, at Montverde last season. He still managed some breakout performances on big stages, including scoring 18 points in 15 minutes against McEachern ( Georgia) at the Hoophall Classic. Love is expected to take on a much bigger role in 2020-21.

"My year at Montverde was full of ups and downs," Love said. "I believe this past year of basketball was the most productive year I have ever had. Learning from Coach [Kevin] Boyle, the best coach in the country, has helped develop me into a more confident and savvy player. I got to compete against the best players in the country every day in practice. These practices made me a more persistent and mentally tough player. I had to go hard every time I stepped on the floor."

Love is the first commitment of the 2021 class for Drew, but he's also the highest-ranked pledge since Isaiah Austin (No. 3) committed back in 2012.

Baylor was poised for a 1-seed entering last season's NCAA tournament after starting 24-1, and the Bears could find themselves near the top of the rankings again this season if Jared Butler and MaCio Teague withdraw from the NBA draft and return to Waco.