Class of 2026 4-star small forward Cole Cloer released his top five schools on Tuesday and did not include Kentucky in it, according to Joe Tipton of On3.
The 6-foot-7, 190-pound forward out of IMG Academy
is ranked as one of the top wings in his class. Cloer’s finalists include North Carolina, NC State, UConn, Alabama, and Florida.
Cloer was scheduled to visit Kentucky in mid-September, but that trip was cancelled after he visited UConn earlier this month, according to 247 Sports’ Travis Branham. While Kentucky was never in his top eight, there was optimism among some that Cloer might form a late connection with Mark Pope and his staff.
However, Pope’s offer came late in the process, and Cloer ultimately decided to move forward without a visit to Lexington. With the latest decision by Cloer, Kentucky still has not landed a commitment for the class of 2026, but Pope and his staff have been on the recruiting trail, and their hard work should be paying off soon, hopefully with a commitment.
With Cloer now officially off the board, Kentucky will continue to evaluate other options to begin building momentum in this year’s class and continue to have a talented roster every year.
