Will UK get another top recruit for 2021? Only eight such players remain uncommitted.
It’s less than three months until the spring signing period for high school basketball seniors, and only a handful of the top 100 recruits in the 2021 class remain uncommitted.
There are eight top-50 prospects from that class that have yet to make their college decisions, and — as of now — Kentucky doesn’t appear to be a favorite for any of them.
The Cats have already signed power forward Daimion Collins (No. 11 in the 247Sports composite rankings), small forward Bryce Hopkins (No. 27) and point guard Nolan Hickman (No. 31), and UK has an early commitment from point guard Skyy Clark, who is No. 12 in the 2022 composite rankings but might still reclassify to 2021 in order to play for the Wildcats next season.
Who else is left? And which way might those players be leaning? Here’s a look.
Top uncommitted basketball recruits
1. Chet Holmgren, center: Kentucky never seriously recruited the uniquely skilled 7-footer from Minnesota. He has cut his list to eight schools, but Gonzaga has emerged as the favorite in recent weeks.
2. Jaden Hardy, combo guard: The Las Vegas-based prospect was the first backcourt player to land a UK scholarship offer. The Wildcats looked like possible leaders early in his recruitment, but — while UK is still pursuing him — the current thinking in recruiting circles is that he will jump straight to the G League developmental path out of high school. (He has already opted out of his senior season because of the COVID-19 pandemic). Even if Hardy goes the college route, UCLA might have overtaken Kentucky as the team to beat.
4. Patrick Baldwin Jr., small forward: The smooth-shooting 6-9 prospect from Milwaukee was among the first players in the class to land a UK offer, but Duke and Milwaukee — where his father is the head coach — have been seen as the frontrunners for months. Baldwin has always been complimentary of UK’s program and has said he’s stayed in touch with John Calipari even after the “Duke or Milwaukee” rumors became established, but it would still be a pretty big surprise if he picked the Cats (or anyone else) over one of those two schools.
6. Hunter Sallis, point guard: Kentucky extended a scholarship offer to the 6-5 prospect from Omaha over the summer and looked like favorites entering his senior season. Now, it’s Gonzaga that is seen as the frontrunner, especially after Sallis announced Sunday that he will reveal his college decision March 26. The timing means he’ll make his college choice without getting a chance to visit UK. (Gonzaga is the only school that hosted him for an official visit before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down recruiting travel).
14. Michael Foster, power forward: The 6-9 prospect from Milwaukee was never seriously recruited by Kentucky, and — despite lots of interest from across the country, and especially in SEC country — it’s expected that he will opt for a professional route, possibly the G League.
20. Trevor Keels, shooting guard: The 247Sports Crystal Ball gives all of its predictions to Duke, though Villanova and Virginia are also in the mix for the 6-5 prospect from Maryland, and he seems genuinely torn over his college decision. Kentucky never got involved.
23. Efton Reid, center: The 7-footer from Richmond, Va., has been on Kentucky’s recruiting radar for more than a year, though there’s been no confirmed UK scholarship offer yet, and the Cats might be set in the frontcourt for next season with the recent transfer of Oscar Tshiebwe. Reid has teased a new list of schools — apparently coming soon — but information on his recruitment has been difficult to come by. Going into the season, most of the buzz centered on Ohio State and Pittsburgh. That could very well change before he makes a final decision.
26. Charles Bediako, center: The near-7-footer from Canada has narrowed his list to Alabama, Duke, Michigan, Ohio State and Texas, and a decision is expected soon. Alabama is seen as the major favorite. Kentucky was never seriously linked to Bediako’s recruitment.
Others uncommitted for 2021
Outside of those eight players, there are only two other uncommitted prospects in the top 100 of the 2021 recruiting rankings, and both are near the bottom of that list: small forwards Ramses Melendez (No. 97) and Wesley Cardet (No. 98). Kentucky has not recruited either player. (Alabama and Georgia are among the schools pursuing Cardet the hardest).
Further down the rankings is Wisconsin shooting guard Brandin Podziemski, who is No. 158 overall in the 247Sports composite rankings but is No. 72 in 247’s own in-house rankings. Kentucky and Kansas both extended scholarship offers to Podziemski — an accomplished three-point shooter — before the season, though both of those blue-blood programs are taking a deliberate approach to his recruitment as they try to evaluate him from afar this season. He’s not expected to make any kind of college decision until after the season, and — if the NCAA lifts its “dead period” for recruiting travel in April — he might be able to take some official visits before coming to a final choice.
If spring rolls around and UK is still in need of players for next season, it would be no surprise to see the Wildcats turn once again to the transfer portal. Kentucky has added a total of six incoming transfers over the past three years.
