Thon Maker (Getty Images)
Thon Maker will graduate a year earlier than expected. (Getty Images)

Over the past few months, rumors had been flying that Thon Maker, a five-star, 7-foot big man high school player from Sudan that has played in Australia, Virginia, and now currently Canada, was planning to reclassify from the Class of 2016 to 2015. 

Today, he made that official, as he announced on Twitter that he is on pace to graduate in 2015. 

Maker has been something of a YouTube sensation for a while now, as his highlight tapes make him look like the next coming of Kevin Durant. 

But the truth is a bit more muted, as Maker still has a lot of growth to do in his game. 247Sports has him ranked eighth in the Class of 2015 Rankings. Here's what 247Sports' Director of Basketball Scouting Jerry Meyer had to say about Maker's game:

A finesse face up player, Maker is most comfortable playing facing the basket. He has shooting range and is comfortable handling the basketball. His back to the basket play and being an aggressive rebounder are areas for improvement.

Also, Meyer tweeted a thought after the announcement:

DraftExpress's Jonathan Givony also updated the site's 2016 Mock Draft, which has Maker currently going 10th behind seven high school seniors and two international players. 

The question at this point will now shift to whether or not Maker will actually play in college, or if he'll take the Emmanuel Mudiay route and go overseas to play professionally for a year before the 2016 NBA Draft. After all, Maker could make money both from his professional status and from shoe sponsorship deals. 

Ben Roberts of the Lexington Herald-Leader talked to Evan Daniels of Scout.com, who had this to say about the possibility Maker will go pro:

Where he ultimately ends up has been one of the hottest topics in recruiting circles over the past year, and those around him have openly talked about the option of playing professionally outside of the United States for one season and then declaring for the 2016 NBA Draft.

That could very well happen.

"They've discussed it as a possibility and it sounds like a real possibility," Daniels said. "He has the skills and talent where opportunities to do such a thing are going to be there. But going overseas is a physical brand of basketball. It would be interesting to see how Thon's body would hold up against grown men."

This is a question that will likely affect multiple major college basketball programs, as Kansas, Kentucky and Indiana are known to be recruiting him, and Duke and Arizona have offered him a scholarship (per 247).

It'll be an interesting situation to follow, as he's the type of player who could change the fortunes of a team for a season in college hoops.