Cornelius “CJ” Ingram II, a highly touted college prospect who has starred for Hawthorne High in football and basketball, played for Orlando powerhouse Oak Ridge High during NCAA live period basketball events in Arizona and Georgia the past two weekends and gained a stack of scholarship offers with stellar play.
The 6-foot-4, 195-pound quarterback and shooting guard averaged 19.5 points as Oak Ridge went 4-0 against strong competition in Atlanta.
Whether or not CJ jumps from Hawthorne, a small school outside of Gainesville that won the past two rural division football championships, to 7A big-school basketball state runner-up Oak Ridge remains to be seen.
Ingram’s father, Cornelius — himself a Hawthorne living legend as a former University of Florida football and basketball player and NFL tight end — said his son enrolled at Oak Ridge to be eligible to play for the Pioneers in the Section 7 and Georgia coaches association scholastic showcases that drew droves of college coaches to Glendale and Atlanta.
“We wanted to put CJ in front of college [basketball] coaches and that is paying off,” he said in a phone interview with the Sentinel on Tuesday night. “The coaches are really rolling in now.
“CJ did enroll at Oak Ridge and yes, that is a possibility. But don’t be surprised if he finishes at Hawthorne. He’s loyal to the community. I’m the head football coach here. We’re thinking about every avenue.”
The Rock, a Gainesville independent school that plays outside the FHSAA, also is in the picture.
“It’s a difficult decision. We’re going to wait it out to the end of the summer to make a decision,” Cornelius said.
CJ has close ties to Oak Ridge basketball coach Steve Reece, who directs the Florida Rebels travel team program Ingram has played with since eighth grade. He is scheduled to play for the Rebels in upcoming Nike EYBL events, including the prestigious Peach Jam tournament from July 13-21 in North Augusta, S.C.
If Ingram does choose Oak Ridge for his senior high school year he’d continue to play alongside 4-star senior prospects Jamier Jones and Jalen Reece, also fixtures for the Rebels.
Jones, a dynamic 6-6 slasher, is No. 29 on the 247Sports 2025 composite prospect list — which includes ratings from other major outlets. The Orlando Sentinel player of the year committed to Providence in May — choosing the Friars over Ohio State, Houston, South Carolina, LSU and Kansas.
Reece, son of the Pioneers coach and a do-it-all point guard, is No. 69 on that list. He was offered by Arizona State last week, adding the Sun Devils to a list of more than 20 major colleges that includes Cincinnati, LSU, Alabama and UCF.
“Those three guys [including CJ] play off each other very well,” Cornelius said. “He’s known Jamier and Jalen for a long time. They all start for Florida Rebels. They have chemistry.”
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Ingram, a 3-star prospect on most lists, received an offer from Florida on June 14 and added offers from Arizona State, Georgia, Murray State, Pittsburgh, Rice, and Vanderbilt in the past two weeks. He was upgraded to 4-star status by ESPN on Tuesday.
Kansas and Kentucky are showing interest, according to Cornelius.
CJ also boasts a UF football offer. He was the 2023 Florida Dairy Farmers Class 1R football player of the year after totaling 44 touchdowns and nearly 3,000 yards running and passing for Hawthorne (13-0).
He averaged 24 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 3.7 steals for the Hornets’ 16-5 basketball team.
Since spring football practice ended CJ has focused solely on basketball.
“It’s been real successful being able to display how hard I play, my playmaking ability and shot-making, slashing,” CJ told 247Sports for a story posted this week. “Everything is starting to come together since I decided to put the football down. I am just very happy to see what is coming in the future.”
Cornelius, also head coach for a Hawthorne girls basketball team that won state titles in 2020 and the past two seasons, played in 19 UF basketball games as a freshman but focused on football after that.
“As of right now CJ probably won’t play [2024] football,” Cornelius said. “All of this is his decision. I’ve told him, ‘Do what you feel in your heart. I’m going to support you.’”
Varsity content editor Buddy Collings can be reached by email at bcollings@orlandosentinel.com.
