Top-50 sophomore RJ Livingston talks contact period, return to court
It’s that time of the year. Mid-June. The contact period.
College coaches can begin talking with the members of the 2026 class, also known as the current sophomore class in the recruiting cycle.
For RJ Livingston, a 6-foot-2 guard, originally out of Florida but opted to transfer to Newman in New Orleans to play for his father and former NBA veteran Randy Livingston, it was a busy contact period as expected.
He heard from over 15+ schools, many of which have gotten to watch his growth over the last two seasons. This past April, Livingston saw a lot of success during session one of the EYBL circuit, showing off his scoring ability and his ability to create space and create for those around him.
Livingston's success is no shocker for those who have seen him play, it attests to the fact that programs like Houston and SMU decided to offer him scholarships early into his sophomore year. In addition, Florida State and Auburn even hosted him for unofficial visits.
He battled an injury during late April which kept him out for some time, but, you can fully expect him to make a return to the court this summer. With him returning, I expect a breakout summer out of Livingston, one that will boost him to five-star status.
Livingston sat down with Stockrisers.com to discuss his recruitment and a tidbit on his game
Which schools did you talk to on day one of the contact period?
“I talked to LSU, Boise State, Oklahoma State, Marquette, Louisville, BYU, San Diego, Auburn, Texas State, Creighton, Illinois, and Arizona State.”
And have a lot of these schools already offered prior to the contact period?
“LSU, Auburn, Texas State, and Arizona State are among the schools that have offered prior to the contact period.”
As for the new ones, which ones have reached out a lot since the contact period started?
“The ones that have reached out and I have talked to a good amount are Boise State, Louisville, Marquette, and BYU.”
What is Louisville’s pitch to you early in the process?
“The pitch would mainly just be my past relationship with Coach Ronnie Hamilton who has been recruiting me since my freshman year while he was at LSU. Even though he’s at Louisville he loves my game and has a good relationship with my family.”
How about BYU’s new staff?
“I think they’re amazing. The whole coaching staff is under a great leader who has had an impact at every level. Coach Young was the Phoenix Suns' lead assistant and that stood out to me because he knows what it takes to get there and what it takes on a day-to-day basis.”
What about Auburn, considering they were involved before, how involved are they now?
“They are going to be in the mix a lot more now just because of the relationship that we’ve had from the first day they started recruiting me.”
Do you have any visits in mind?
“I would like to take an official visit to Auburn, but I want to take visits to every school possible as to maximize my decision when it’s time to pick a school.”
How would you best describe your game and improve on it this summer?
“I’m an all-around player with great passing and a great basketball IQ. I can do anything that’s asked of me on the court. For improvement, getting stronger and perfecting my timing on attacking opportunities.”