Kentucky continues to be a key player in the recruitment of 5-star small forward Tyran Stokes, Rivals’ No. 1 overall prospect in the 2026 class. Despite Stokes limiting his communication with the media,
Kentucky has consistently appeared in conversations with many recruiting experts close to logging in a prediction for Stokes.
Stokes recently trimmed his list to five final schools: Kentucky, Louisville, Oregon, Kansas, and USC. He has taken official visits to each program, but according to Jamie Shaw of Rivals, the Wildcats currently hold momentum in the recruitment.
Shaw predicted Kentucky to win out with a 40% confidence level, though he notes Oregon presents the biggest threat, which means he believes Kansas, Louisville, and USC are out.
247 Sports staff has also projected a solid chance for Kentucky, assigning a 6/10 confidence level for a commitment. Stokes’ official decision date has not yet been announced, keeping the college basketball world closely watching.
Meanwhile, the No. 2 overall player in the class of 2026, 5-star combo guard Jordan Smith, has received a 6/10 crystal ball prediction to commit to Duke, according to Colby Giacubeno, a Maryland contributor. Smith was offered by Kentucky last September after Mark Pope visited him, received another visit in April, and is scheduled for an official visit this weekend, keeping Kentucky in the mix for the top backcourt prospect as well.
Jamie Shaw also predicted Duke to win out with a 40% confidence level, though he listed Kentucky and Arkansas as the biggest threats to flip that.
Landing Stokes would mark a significant milestone for Pope and Kentucky. It would give Kentucky its first top-ranked recruit under Pope and the first time since the class of 2012 with Nerlens Noel. Plus, it could shape how dominant this year’s class could be for Pope
As for Smith, he’s someone Kentucky would probably love to have, but it looks like Duke is still the favorite.
