The Kentucky Wildcats are gearing up for the start of their regular season, but that has not slowed Mark Pope and this staff on the recruiting trail.
With no commitments in the class of 2026 at the moment,
there are plenty of questions swirling around about who this class could potentially fill out. Luckily for UK, plenty of their top targets are still on the board as we enter the regular season, leaving plenty of hope still for the BBN.
Jamie Shaw of On3 took some time at the start of the week to update the recruitment status of several of Kentucky’s top targets, with two players receiving updates that really stand out.
Let’s first start with 5-star guard Caleb Holt. With two visits to Lexington already in the books, things seem to be moving in a positive direction for the Cats. However, it still seems like this recruitment won’t get more motion until Tyran Stokes makes his decision.
“Speaking with sources, I am told that Kentucky has picked up steam, but it is being reiterated to me that Holt is watching Tyran Stokes’ recruitment concerning the Wildcats,” writes Shaw. “With some potential moving pieces in play, those remain the three schools I am hearing for the Rivals150 5-star.”
With some positive news surrounding Holt, he also brought some more negative news towards the Cats’ pursuit of 5-star point guard Deron Rippey, as it doesn’t sound like Kentucky is near the top of his list.
“The three schools sources continue to mention to me are Duke, Tennessee, and NC State,” Shaw said of Rippey’s recruitment.
Sounds like this one will not end up in a commitment for the Cats, which isn’t a major surprise since Rippey has an Adidas deal and is expected to land at an Adidas-sponsored school.
With the potential of a second year of Jaland Lowe and Jasper Johnson, it doesn’t shock me that Rippey is fading away.
Regarding Tyran Stokes, this one seems to be a Kentucky vs. Kansas battle at the moment, though there’s been no indication of when a decision could come after it was believed he’d commit in time to sign in the early signing period.
Here’s to hoping Mark Pope can close with a couple of these prospects.
