Rutgers basketball adds Baye Fall, former McDonald’s All-American

Another former McDonald’s All-American is joining the Rutgers basketball program.

This one – Kansas State transfer Baye Fall – took a more circuitous route to Piscataway than Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey, who are off to the NBA after one season on the banks.

Here are three things to know about the 6-foot-11, 215-pound sophomore forward/center, who has two seasons of eligibility remaining.  

1. Fall was once a top-30 recruit

The Senegal native, who attended high school in Denver, was ranked as the 29^th-best prospect in the Class of 2023 by 247Sports. He came out of high school with a reputation as an ultra-athletic rim protector and a strong rebounder, especially on the offensive end. Rutgers recruited him hard at the time but he committed to Arkansas, where he appeared in nine games as a freshman in 2023-24 and averaged 0.8 points and 1.3 rebounds.

2. He played just four games for Kansas State

Buried on the depth chart for the Wildcats, who finished 16-17 overall and 9-11 in the Big 12, Fall averaged 2.5 points, 1.5 rebounds and 0.8 blocks in his cameos. Over his college career, he is shooting 6-of-10 from the field, 5-of-15 from the free-throw line, and has not attempted a 3-pointer. He does have nine offensive rebounds in just 71 minutes played – an excellent rate in a small sample size.

3. Rutgers has depth in the frontcourt

Fall has not done much as a collegian, but he’s also had limited opportunities. Can Rutgers draw out what Eric Musselman and Jerome Tang could not? Or does the power he flashed in high school simply not translate to this level? It’s a fascinating flier, certainly worthwhile given Rutgers’ relative lack of payroll (more established centers are commanding at least a third of Rutgers’ entire roster budget). Plus Fall seems to fit with the return to a defense-and-rebounding identity for next season.

Rutgers sees Fall as capable of playing either center or power forward, so he could pair with returning center Manny Ogbole in a two-big lineup. With five power players – only one with any kind of experience (Ogbole) – there’s a lot of blank canvas for frontcourt coach Jay Young to work with.

Rutgers has two open scholarships remaining. Look for the Scarlet Knights to target wings and two-guards who can shoot – and to cast a wide net in doing so, quite possibly outside of the transfer portal.

RUTGERS’ 2025-26 DEPTH CHART UPDATE

Guards (4): Jamichael Davis, Tariq Francis, Lino Mark, Kaden Powers

Wings (2): Dylan Grant, Darren Buchanan

Bigs (5): Manny Ogbole, Baye Fall, Bryce Dortch, Chris Nwuli, Gevonte Ware

Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.