St. Joseph High School senior Tounde Yessoufou is ranked No. 17 in the nation among high school basketball recruits. On Tuesday, he signed a letter of intent to play at Baylor University starting in 2025.
Yessoufou made his decision official in a Santa Maria gym full of people.
Viewers also watched online as a live stream of the event aired on YouTube.
The 6'5" student-athlete will join the Baylor Bears after helping the St. Joseph Knights win a CIF section title and earn a spot in a state championship game.
Yessoufou had offers from local universities such as Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara. Blue blood powerhouses like Kentucky, Kansas and the University of Connecticut were also interested in recruiting Yessoufou.
The St. Joseph's senior told KSBY that the Christian university is where he wants to be.
"I stepped on the campus and it felt like home. They're big believers, and I'm a big believer also. I always trust my instincts," he said. "My mom was with me. Right away when we stepped on the campus, without even visiting anything, she said, 'Son, I think this is where I want you to go.' I felt it right away, I felt that same energy, too."
