Providence lands small forward Clyde Walters, who will reclassify to 2026 and enroll this summer

Walters played against top competition with Brewster Academy and Overtime Elite. He was a top 100 prospect in 2027 before switching back to the class of '26.

In an era in which it’s becoming increasingly more challenging to work quietly, new Providence head coach Bryan Hodgson and his staff pulled their third significant surprise of the spring — this time landing a commitment from Alabama native Clyde Walters.

Joe Tipton of On3.com reported that Walters was on campus for an official visit this weekend, and Walters not only decided to commit to Providence, but he reclassified from 2027 and will join next year’s team.

Walters was originally a member of the class of 2026 prior to attending Brewster Academy for the 2024-25 school year. Now he is back with his original class.

The 6’6 small forward is a bit of a do-it-all wing who flashes outstanding athleticism. Look no further than this clip:

Walters told Tipton that Hodgson had been recruiting him since Hodgson was an assistant at Alabama, and the trust he built with the new PC coaching staff was a key factor in his decision.

Walters reported offers from the former staff at Syracuse, as well as Ole Miss, Georgia Tech, and Mississippi State. He was ranked in the 80s by 247 Sports and On3.com in the class of 2027.

For Providence, this marks the third surprise commitment since Hodgson took over. PC shocked just about everyone when Dink Pate announced he was leaving the Westchester Knicks of the NBA’s G-League to join the Friars, while Malik Mack, a former rival at Georgetown, is transferring in for his senior season.

Here’s more on Clyde Walters:

1. Walters has played with — and against — elite competition over the past two years. He made the decision to leave his native Alabama for Wolfeboro, New Hampshire to play for a very talented Brewster Academy team two years ago. That group included one-and-done Stanford guard Ebuka Okorie, Duke wing Sebastian Wilkins, and an extremely talented scoring guard the Friars recently offered in 2027’s Antonio Pemberton.

At Brewster, Walters played against the top competition in the country, including five-star prospects like the Boozer twins, Jaxon Richardson, Dylan Mingo, Moussa Kamissoko, and several other future NBA draft picks.

Walters left Brewster for Overtime Elite last fall and ran alongside four players ranked in 247 Sports’ top 35 prospects in their class.

2. Playing for Alabama Fusion, Walters has been one of the top ten scorers on the Nike circuit this spring. He averaged 19.9 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.8 steals a game — twice topping out at 27 points in a game. He’s turned the ball over at a decent clip (3.3 per game) and is making threes at 29%, but Walters is filling the stat sheet regardless.

Last spring and summer, he put up 14.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game with Alabama Fusion.

3. In 18 games with Overtime Elite (playing 19 minutes a night), Walters averaged 6.8 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. Those numbers may seem low, but to put them in perspective, Kam Mercer (the 31st ranked player in the country in 2027 per 247 Sports) averaged 7.4 points on their RWE club. There was just so much talent on their team.

4. Where does Walters fit right away? With a completely revamped roster, predicting minutes is a bit of a fool’s errand in June, as players are just stepping foot on campus for the first time together.

That being said, Walters is joining a Providence team with experience and depth on the wings and in the backcourt. Ryan Mela has started in 31 games as a Friar, Pate could have star potential, while San Diego State transfer Miles Byrd is considered one of the top 20 portal additions in the country this year.

The backcourt will feature Mack, a near-20-point-per-game scorer in Ryan Sabol (Buffalo), and the talented Devin Vanterpool (FAU).

Here’s a look at Walters in action with Brewster Academy during the 2024-25 season: