Clemson forward Jake Wahlin is returning home.
And that means a lot to his family, friends, and future because of his BYU ties.
BYU basketball coach Kevin Young announced that the former Cougar recruit from Timpview High, who played at Utah and Clemson, will join his program next season.
“It happened quickly, and everyone is thrilled. It’s wonderful to return home,” Wahlin said.
He will end his career at the Marriott Center, which his grandfather, the late Ray Beckham, assisted in raising funds for construction.
Last Sunday, he was most likely bound for Kansas State. Just 24 hours later, he became a Cougar.
Wahlin, a 6-foot-10 stretch forward, helped Clemson break the ACC record for road wins this past season. He battled against teams such as Duke, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Stanford, Cal, and Georgia Tech, as well as BYU at the Jimmy V Classic in New York City’s iconic Madison Square Garden.
He has appeared in 88 games as a Power Five player, including 52 starts for the Utes and Tigers.
Wahlin was on his way to see Kansas State when Young phoned him on Monday. He had changed his trip to Manhattan, replacing a previously planned trip to Cincinnati. The Cougar coach stated that he had watched his video again and felt he could help BYU on both ends of the court.
That he had played at the top level of ACC basketball and was familiar with BYU’s distinct culture were additional advantages for Young.
Here’s how this blitzkrieg Wahlin commitment unfolded.
Jake was attending a friend’s bachelor golf trip in Mexico last week, while his parents were touring Kansas State in Manhattan, preparing for Jake’s arrival on Monday.
However, before traveling to Manhattan, Rick attended church in Provo on Sunday and ran into Brian Santiago, the BYU athletic director and a previous member of his stake presidency. The discussion turned to what Jake had been up to since entering the portal.
Rick indicated that he was going to visit Kansas State and would likely commit because they wanted him and the situation had progressed that far.
According to Rick, Santiago stated that he couldn’t stand in front of his coaches in a situation like this, but that it would be worthwhile for his son-in-law, Tim, to call Coach Young one last time.
Rick spoke with Tim about it, but the seasoned AAU coach wondered if it would be in vain at this point, when Kansas State was nearly a done deal and BYU had barely expressed interest.
Davis, as an AAU coach, has personal ties with coaches throughout the country. The Wahlins and his brother-in-law Jake have always seen him as their advisor and point-man. Over the years, he has coached Yoeli Childs, Connor Harding, Collin Chandler, and Wahlin. He was familiar with the script for recruiting, coaching, and programs.
Davis called Young on Monday, and during the conversation, Young agreed to take another look at Jake’s film, which his personnel already do frequently with recruits at his direction.
After watching the video, Young returned to his family and informed them that he was more than simply interested in Jake and had called him.
Meanwhile, Jake phoned as his parents were departing Manhattan Tuesday night after seeing the K-State facilities and campus.
“How would you feel about me returning home? ” he asked.
Rick and his wife thought this was to visit family.
“No, I mean come home and play for BYU. “
Needless to say, this was excellent news for the parents.
Jake finalized the deal and BYU announced his commitment to the Cougars within 24 hours.
It’s strange that Rick and Raleen were in Manhattan at the start of the week, and his son was getting ready to come search for flats. His son was a Cougar, signed and delivered, before the weekend.
Rick was happy that Jake phoned K-State coaches, whom he described as “tremendous” individuals, and personally explained his choice to return home to BYU.
“Coach Young informed me that because I knew what a BYU uniform meant, it was important. That meant a lot to me,” says Wahlin, who was targeted by K-State coach Casey Alexander after leaving Belmont University.
Wahlin had maintained his recruiting connections close after joining the transfer portal. Besides KSU and Cincinnati, he had heard from Mark Madson at Cal. “We didn’t want it to be a big recruiting process. “
Wahlin completed his final tests at Clemson and is scheduled to return to Provo next week.
Young stated Wahlin that he believed he could guard several spots and that his ball-handling would be useful.
“Coach Young told me that as a larger wing, he could use my defense because in the Big 12 there are a lot of smaller guards who pressure our point guards,” Wahlin said. “Another thing they see me doing is relieving pressure on the guards, bringing the ball up the court, and getting us into the offense. Rebounding is one of my strongest characteristics, according to them.
Wahlin is well familiar with the players expected on BYU’s roster this season, including Kentucky transfer Chandler, who played with him for the Utah Prospects of AAU. By joining the Cougars, Young has a roster stranglehold on the best LDS players in the country.
When he lived in Texas, he was in the same primary class in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as incoming freshman point guard Brooks Bahr, with whom he had previously played football. According to Wahlin, “Brooks is like a brother to me. “
He also knows Dean Rueckert, a graduating freshman from Timpview High, and has mentored him for years, working and hanging out together. He knows Utah Prospects’ Brody Kozlowski.
“I don’t know Dawson Baker, but I’ve played against him two or three times,” Wahlin said.
The Wahlin addition is crucial for the Cougars since, having played high-major basketball and competing in the ACC, he understands the degree of intensity and physicality required to perform at that level. He recognizes the hard work that must be done throughout the preseason, as well as the energy required in games, particularly on defense.
Wahlin is older, served a church mission, and has abilities. He can fill a demand as a starting winger or a sixth man. He helps to fill out the Cougars’ first eight or nine players on the roster, which they lacked last year due to injuries and developmental issues, costing them in Big 12 play. BYU needs depth. Wahlin delivers. He is not a mid-major or junior college risk.
His father, Rick, whom I met in 2006 while he was creating clubs for Tiger Woods at Nike’s incubator facility in Fort Worth, told me that the NIL offers from Kansas State and BYU for his son’s services were similar.
Rick, who continues to work as a design engineer, said his family is happy to have Jake return to Provo, where he and his wife, Raleen, have 17 grandkids who have missed Uncle Jake.
Wahlin committed to BYU after graduating from high school and served a mission to Lithuania from 2021 to 2023. When he finished his commitment, he opted to accept a position playing for Craig Smith and Chris Burgess in Utah.
“I loved coach Smith and I’ve been a fan of Burgess for a very long time. When things changed in Utah, I chose to transfer to Clemson, where I had a fantastic time playing for the Tigers and we achieved many things, including the ACC road record. “
Returning to his hometown of Provo to play for the Cougars has been a difficult trip for him, but it is something he has wanted to do for a long time. This time around, with Young, things click. “It worked,” he said.
His grandpa Beckham would be delighted.
Ray Beckham is largely responsible for the presence of the Marriott Center on campus today. His constant fundraising, donor soliciting, and promise making won him a front-row position directly behind the scoring table.
Beckham was BYU’s inaugural sports information director and a member of the BYU Athletic Hall of Fame. He played football for BYU and co-founded the Cougar Club, as well as the Aspen Family Camp near Sundance. His fundraising was critical to the construction of the Marriott Center as well as the expansion of LaVell Edwards Stadium.
He is a legend.
Rick and Raleen, Ray Beckham’s daughter, now dwell in Ray’s home near the Provo Temple grounds, close to campus.
While Beckham was present to witness Hall of Famer Krešimir Ćosić, Danny Ainge, and many other Cougar luminaries, he did not live to see his grandson wear a Cougar jersey and walk onto the Marriott Center court.
On November 11, 2017, the 90-year-old patriarch was buried in a blue coffin at Provo Cemetery. Before lowering it to the vault below, his children and grandkids applied BYU emblem stickers on the casket..
So, yes, when Jake Wahlin takes the court for Kevin Young in a BYU uniform, it will be a significant legacy moment. Jake’s journey has taken him from Provo to the Huntsman Center, Clemson, and the renowned basketball region known as Tobacco Road in ACC country.
And it will be warmly welcomed by the Wahlin/Beckham family.
The youngster is home.
