Having recently reclassified into the class of 2025, Justin Houser out of the Phelps School has seen his recruitment reset. Now, projecting as more of a hire major recruitment, he’s starting to garner the kind of interest that he was hoping he’d find.

“My decision to reclass was mainly because I thought I just needed more time to develop my overall game and body,” Houser told CavsCorner. “I want to put on some more weight and really become stronger before I get to college. “Once I made the decision to reclass into the class of 2025, I started to hear from more schools and more high major schools,” he added. “When I was in the class of 2024, I was hearing more from mid-major schools so the decision has really helped my recruitment because my goal is to become a high-major player.”

UVa is among the high major programs that are standing out to the 6-foot-10 prospect these days.

“Virginia, Penn State, Clemson, Virginia Tech, and Temple are schools that are really prioritizing me I would say right now,” Houser explained. “I am having consistent communication with these programs.”

Over the last few months, he’s had a chance to really connect with the Cavalier coaches and get a better feel for the program.

“Virginia watched me this fall and are always checking in on me,” he said. “They are a school that really wants to watch me this season because I was hurt this past summer during the AAU season. They are going to watch me throughout my high school season and keep checking in with me.”

When getting a chance to see the Wahoos in action, Houser said he really likes how Tony Bennett and his staff use their big men.

“When I watch them, I really can tell that they are a program that likes to use their big as a shooter also,” he said. “They run a lot of pick and pop stuff so they really need a lot of versatile players.

“I really like the Virginia system just because I think as a big, I would also be able to shoot the ball well in their offensive style,” Houser added. “I have watched some film on some of their past bigs that can shoot the ball and I like that a lot.”

Though Virginia has not yet extended an offer, he thinks he has what it takes to get one down the road.

“I think I just really need to perform in front of those schools that have not offered me yet,” Houser said. “I missed the summer because of an injury so a lot of schools have not seen my potential yet. Some schools are also telling me to become more aggressive. In particular to Virginia, they really like how I defend and how I rebound on the defensive end but they want to see me call for the ball more on the offensive end.”

So far, Houser has taken visits to Penn State, St. Joe's and Temple.