It’s signing week for basketball recruits. Here’s where Kentucky (and others) stand.
College basketball’s early signing period for high school recruits begins Wednesday, and — by the time it’s finished next week — John Calipari’s program will officially have at least three new members.
The seven-day window allows for high school seniors who are already sure of their college destination to sign a national letter of intent with their future school.
The NLI is a binding agreement between the athlete and college, though — in recent years — it has become more of a ceremonial end to a player’s recruitment. Once a college receives the NLI, coaches are free to publicly discuss that player and his future, and Calipari is likely to release statements about Kentucky’s newest additions over the next week or so.
High school seniors who do not sign with a school in the early window must wait until the regular signing period in April to make things official, though they can still verbally commit to a college at any time between now and then.
Kentucky’s signees
Going into the week, UK has commitments from five-star post player Daimion Collins, four-star small forward Bryce Hopkins, and four-star point guard Nolan Hickman — a trio of top-50 national prospects that has given the Wildcats one of the best recruiting classes in America so far.
Collins — a 6-foot-10 power forward from Atlanta, Texas — is Kentucky’s most recent commitment and its highest-rated early pledge, coming in at No. 19 in the 247Sports composite rankings for the 2021 class, though that ranking is expected to improve in the coming weeks.
Hopkins — a 6-6 prospect from the Chicago area — is a former Louisville commitment and places No. 29 nationally in the composite rankings. Hickman — a 6-3 playmaker from Seattle — was UK’s first 2021 commitment and is No. 42 in those rankings.
These three players will have until Nov. 18 to sign early with Kentucky.
More to come?
Will the Wildcats add anyone else to this 2021 class in time for the early signing period? UK’s 2021 group is certain to expand by the spring, but it’s looking more and more unlikely that any additions will be made by the middle of next week.
Coming into the week, Kentucky had scholarship offers extended to five uncommitted players in the 2021 class: No. 1-ranked recruit Patrick Baldwin Jr., No. 4-ranked Jaden Hardy, No. 7-ranked Hunter Sallis, No. 20-ranked Moussa Diabate and Wisconsin shooting guard Brandin Podziemski, a three-star prospect who has emerged this fall as a major national recruit.
Baldwin — a 6-9 small forward from Milwaukee — could make a decision in time to sign early, but he’s not expected to pick Kentucky. Hardy (a combo guard) and Diabate (a post player) were both expected to wait until later in the process to make a college choice, though Diabate surprisingly announced a commitment to Michigan on Monday afternoon. It was unclear how vigorously Kentucky would continue to pursue him after Collins’ recent commitment.
Sallis and Podziemski appear to be the two most likely, realistic Kentucky targets to decide early, but neither has shown any signs of an imminent commitment. UK is seen as a lukewarm favorite for Sallis — a 6-5 point guard from Omaha — but he has repeatedly said that he will hold off on a decision in hopes of taking some campus visits in the spring if the NCAA lifts its COVID-related recruiting travel ban by then. Podziemski — a 6-5 prospect — has said recently that he has no timetable for a commitment.
UK also has a commitment from five-star point guard Skyy Clark, but he is currently in the 2022 class, and — while he is entertaining the idea of reclassifying to 2021 — no final decision on such a move is expected until next year.
Not much left
The elite players in the 2021 class have been making their college decisions much earlier than their counterparts in previous recruiting cycles. As of Monday afternoon, only 17 of the top 100 players in the 247Sports composite rankings remain uncommitted, and a few of those could make college decisions by the middle of next week. That’s a staggeringly low number of uncommitted players at this stage in the recruiting process.
Baldwin, Hardy, Sallis, center Chet Holmgren and forward Michael Foster are the only top-10 players still available in the class, though Foster is seen as a likely straight-to-the-pros prospect out of high school, and Hardy has also entertained the idea of making a jump to the G League or another professional route.
Who’s winning?
As of now, Michigan has the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class, a six-player group headlined by Caleb Houstan, the No. 8 overall player in the country. Whatever happens over the next several months, Coach Juwan Howard has the Wolverines in a great spot to end up with one of the nation’s very best classes.
Florida State — with two five-star commitments and four total pledges for 2021 — is No. 2 in the 247Sports team recruiting rankings.
Kentucky is No. 3, with Villanova and Baylor rounding out the top five. Louisiana State is the next-best Southeastern Conference program in the rankings — at No. 11 nationally — and Louisville has four early commitments for the No. 21 class in the country.
UK is once again well-positioned to make a run at the No. 1 spot, especially if the Cats can land someone like Hardy or Sallis, with the possible reclassification of Clark — ranked No. 14 in the 2022 class — also an option to boost Kentucky’s overall team ranking.
Duke, as always, should be among the Wildcats’ biggest competition for the top spot. The Blue Devils go into the week with the nation’s No. 28 class, but both of their early commitments — Paolo Banchero and AJ Griffin — are ranked No. 3 and No. 6, respectively in the class, and Duke remains in the mix for several top-tier recruits, including No. 1-ranked Baldwin.
This story was originally published November 9, 2020 at 7:58 AM.
