2025 guard Jayden Xu recently took an unofficial visit to Rutgers, and according to him, the visit went better than he could have ever anticipated.

“The Rutgers visit was amazing. I was there for about four hours,” he said. “Two hours being able to sit in on the teams second practice of the season and the other two hours was a tour given by coach [Mike] Larkin, which was arranged by coach [Steve] Pikiell.”

On the tour Xu spent time going through the campus and touring the facilities, but it was the culture at Rutgers that really caught his eye.

“The culture that Pikiell has built there is truly admirable. When I was being shown their locker room, something that stood out to me was the words that Pikiell had put up the day he was hired as the head coach at Rutgers- he called it wearing your “HAT” everyday, having the qualities of being humble, appreciative, and thankful,” he said. “Coach Pikiell said that if everyone around the program consistently had those qualities, anything would be achievable. And those words have clearly reflected in what I saw in how the program was ran, from the coaches and staff, all the way down to the players, whether they were a high recruit or a walk on.”

Princeton also hosted Xu for an unofficial visit this month, and the vibes were also better than he could have anticipated. Xu is a 4.55 GPA student, so the mutual interest makes sense.

“Princeton was amazing. Coach [Lawrence] Rowley hosted my family and I, and he took me on a visit after I played in their elite camp,” he said. “Their campus is wonderful and Jadwin Gym is truly a spectacle. Meeting and hearing Coach [Mitch] Henderson talk about basketball was a fantastic opportunity and a learning experience as well. I admire Princeton and what they’re all about a lot, as their school is elite at a lot more than just basketball, which I love.

“I take a lot of pride in my academics and even other extracurricular such as music, which I could further pursue at Princeton as well.”

Along with Rutgers and Princeton, Yale, Penn, UC San Diego, Rice and Colgate are tracking his progress.

Xu is coming off a season where he averaged 15.7 points and 4.2 rebounds per game for Santa Monica High School (CA), while shooting 40-percent from three-point range. He’s a player that has the size and shooting ability that coaches want, and that is exactly why they’re following his progress.

“I think coaches like my height and length to contribute both offensively and defensively, my ability to shoot from everywhere on the floor, my passing ability, and I think one factor that isn’t talked about enough in players is basketball IQ,” he explained. “I help teams space the floor which can be a huge factor in the success of an offense even without me touching the ball. Aside from just basketball, I think many coaches like my academic ability which all schools appreciate. Being successful in college doesn’t just extend to basketball, academics are also very important in the success of one’s life as well so, yeah, I think a lot of college coaches like that part of me.”

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