LAKE CHARLES – McNeese Cowboys head coach Bill Armstrong has announced the signing of his first transfer to his Bayou Bandits squad, Oklahoma freshman and former four-star recruit Jacolb Fredson-Cole.
Fredson-Cole is believed to be the first four-star recruit to sign with the Cowboys.
A 6-foot-7 forward who played two seasons at Oklahoma, appeared in 15 games last season for the Sooners as a redshirt freshman, scoring 13 points with 12 rebounds.
Labeled a four-star prospect by ESPN and Rivals and a three-star by 247Sports, Fredson-Cole played for Armstrong at Link Academy his senior season where he helped lead the team to the GEICO National Championship. At Link, Fredson-Cole ranked No. 86 in the 2023 ESPN100, No. 118 nationally by Rivals and No. 7 player in Missouri by 247Sports.com. He attended the 2022 USA Basketball Junior National Team April minicamp and was selected as one of 16 finalists for the 2021 USA U16 National Team.
"My previous experience with Jacolb and knowing his character made him a priority," said Armstrong. "He's a high-character athlete. He not only excels in every aspect of the game but also inspires those around him to be better. He's exactly the type of young man we want representing our fine university.
"Jacolb has already gotten an inside look of how the program is going to be run which gives him a great opportunity to come in and feel at home from day one. I personally couldn't be more excited about the opportunity to reunite with him. We shared a great experience winning the Geico National Championship together and are both ready to make the most out of the opportunity McNeese is giving us to bring a third consecutive conference championship to Lake Charles.
"I will be forever grateful to Jacolb and his family for once again entrusting us to play a role in his development as a basketball player and as a man. His versatility as a player is elite which is a perfect fit for our style of play. His ability to impact winning on both ends of the floor will ensure that Jacolb makes an immediate impact on our program."
A native of Bellaire, Texas, Fredson-Cole attended Bellaire High School prior to his senior season and earned 2021-22 6A Region 3 District MVP and 6A All-Region honors after his junior campaign. He averaged 22.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 3.0 steals and 2.0 blocks per game in 28 games as a junior at Bellaire (2021-22) and led his team to a 21-9 finish and appeared in the 6A regionals. He was named second team all-district as a sophomore where he started 18 games in 2020-21 and averaged 19.7 points, 8.5 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 2.0 steals and 2.8 blocks per contest. He appeared in 36 games as a freshman in 2019-20, averaging 8.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.5 steals and 3.0 blocks per game.
Out of high school, he was offered by top programs such as Oklahoma, Nebraska, Xavier, Houston, Georgia, USC, Tennessee, LSU, TCU, Ole Miss and Illinois, just to name a few.
