Mar 9, 2025; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Ace Bailey (4) slap hands with fans after the game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Jersey Mike’s Arena. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Ace Bailey has made it official.

It was a foregone conclusion that the Rutgers Scarlet Knights’ star freshman would be moving on after one season. On Wednesday, Bailey officially announced that he will declare for the 2025 NBA Draft. He now joins Dylan Harper as Scarlet Knights heading to the draft.

“I want to thank everyone at Rutgers,” Bailey told ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. “The community for supporting us and traveling across the country to watch us. My teammates, coaches and support staff. The donors. The strength and conditioning coach, nutritionist, managers and also the security guards, Rob and Julio, for keeping us safe. Everyone pushed me to get better every day, to be the best version of myself. I am thankful for everything they did for me. I felt a lot of love from everyone.”

Bailey was named Third Team All-Big Ten and to the All-Freshman Team this year. He averaged 17.6 points and 7.2 rebounds while shooting 45.8% from the field. Bailey scored a total of 510 points and currently sits third all-time in program history.

On Wednesday, Bailey was named First Team All-Metropolitan.

Bailey is expected to be one of the first players taken in the draft. He has been pegged as a top-three pick by many mock drafts this offseason.

“I’m nowhere close to reaching my potential,” Bailey said. “I’m still young, still learning, but I’m working every day. My playmaking is improving. NBA teams will get an energetic player ready to talk, lead and put people in the right positions. I can take a good team to a better level.”

Published 0 Minutes Ago|Modified 9:35 AM EDT