The recruitment of class of 2026 5-star power forward Christian Collins continues to heat up, and Kentucky basketball is right in the middle of it.
On Monday, 247 Sports recruiting analyst Travis Branham
placed a Crystal Ball prediction for Collins to commit to Kentucky, giving it a confidence rating of 7/10.
This comes after Rivals recruiting guru Joe Tipton logged a UK prediction over the weekend. Tipton and Branham are widely viewed as the top recruiting reporters, so this is a great sign that the Cats will be getting awesome news soon.
Jacob Polacheck of On3, also among the best basketball recruiting insiders, was the first reporter to log a prediction in favor of Kentucky to land Collins last week. Well-known insider Trilly Donovan also joined in, forecasting the Wildcats to land the 5-star forward.
Collins, a 6-foot-8, 200-pound forward from Bellflower, California, is considered one of the best frontcourt prospects in the country and has been a major priority for Mark Pope and his staff.
With all the strong buzz surrounding Kentucky, it made sense for Collins to ultimately commit to the Wildcats, choosing them over USC and UCLA. With many experts predicting Kentucky to land Collins, it highlights how competitive Pope’s staff has become, proving they can recruit elite talent from across the country, even from the West Coast.
Now that Pope is hopefully about to reel in his first top-five high school recruit (Collins is ranked No. 4 at ESPN), the head coach is firmly establishing himself in national recruiting circles and showing that Kentucky basketball is regaining its recruiting edge.
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