Class of 2027 recruit CJ Rosser talks interest from Mark Pope, UK basketball
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Kentucky basketball is recruiting class of 2027 prospect CJ Rosser.
- Rosser is a 6-foot-9 power forward from North Carolina.
- Rosser is a five-star recruit and one of the top prospects in the 2027 recruiting class.
While Mark Pope and the Kentucky basketball program are still looking for their first commitment in the 2026 recruiting class, the Wildcats are also in the early stages of recruiting class of 2027 prospects.
It’s proving to be a slow burn for the Cats, who have extended only three scholarship offers to rising high school juniors.
That’s a relatively low number of scholarship offers — UK has offered 14 prospects in the 2026 class — and Kentucky hasn’t extended any new offers to 2027 recruits since June 15, when college coaches could begin directly contacting 2027 prospects.
It’s clear that Pope and company are committed to pursuing each of the three class of 2027 recruits they’ve already offered.
Small forward Baba Oladotun and center Obinna Ekezie Jr. both collected UK scholarship offers last September. Power forward CJ Rosser is the most recent of Kentucky’s three 2027 recruits to earn a scholarship offer, which he received in May. And Rosser in particular projects as the kind of impact, two-way prospect that any college program would covet.
That much was clear Tuesday morning inside the Riverview Park Activities Center in North Augusta, South Carolina, where Rosser put together an all-around performance as his Team United squad posted a come-from-behind 78-68 win in the 16-and-under age division of Peach Jam, the season-ending Nike Elite Youth Basketball League tournament.
The 6-foot-9 Rosser had 19 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three blocks in the win. He lived at the foul line during the game, converting 10 of 14 free-throw attempts to help make up for a difficult shooting game.
“Team player, knowing my role, just getting my teammates open,” Rosser told the Herald-Leader when asked afterward to describe his game.
Entering Peach Jam, Rosser dominated on the EYBL’s 16-and-under circuit this year with Team United, to the tune of 17.9 points and 7.4 rebounds per game.
“I would probably say me getting more consistent with my shot,” Rosser said when asked what part of his game has seen the most recent growth.
Despite not having his best shooting performance Tuesday morning, Rosser’s stat line — and the game’s result — was evidence of the way he can affect winning in different ways.
Ranked by the 247Sports Composite as a five-star recruit and as the No. 3 national prospect in the 2027 recruiting class, Rosser said he’s still looking to add muscle and strength in the weight room to be able to better play all five positions on the floor.
His talents have already been identified by plenty of college coaches in the form of scholarship offers, and by the country’s top basketball organization. Rosser — who is the top ranked power forward in the rising high school junior class — earned a gold medal in June while representing USA Basketball at the FIBA Under-16 Men’s AmeriCup in Mexico. Rosser started six games at that event, with per-game averages of 13.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.8 blocks.
Kentucky assistant coach Mikhail McLean was on hand to watch Rosser in Mexico. UK coaches are likely to watch Rosser (as well as Ekezie and Oladotun, Kentucky’s other 2027 recruits) at Peach Jam starting Thursday, when the next in-person recruiting evaluation period begins for college coaches.
“Really just keeping my head forward, not worrying about it until later on down the road,” Rosser said of how he’s handling his college recruitment.
What does recruit CJ Rosser think about Mark Pope, UK basketball?
Rosser — who attends Northern Nash High School in Rocky Mount, North Carolina — is well on his way to becoming the kind of national, five-star talent that Pope is still looking to successfully recruit to Lexington.
Pope’s first full high school recruiting class this year includes a pair of five-star prospects in guard Jasper Johnson and center Malachi Moreno, but both of those players committed to Kentucky, in part, due to their deep ties to the commonwealth. Kentucky missed on several top recruits in the 2025 class from outside of the state, most notably with power forwards Nate Ament and Caleb Wilson and guard Braylon Mullins.
We’re still in the early stages of Rosser’s college recruitment, and he’s only owned a Kentucky scholarship offer for two months. But there’s been good early communication on both sides.
“Really good,” Rosser said of his relationship with the Wildcats. “Coach Pope stays in contact, and the whole coaching staff.”
Well before he landed a Kentucky scholarship offer, Rosser — who described Pope as “a chill guy” — took note of Pope’s first UK team. Rosser said he watched, and was impressed by, Kentucky’s statement victory over Duke last November in what was only Pope’s third game as the UK head coach.
“I really liked their play style a lot, that’s really how the game’s going,” Rosser said of Kentucky.
Rosser — who said his favorite NBA player is ex-Cat and reigning league and NBA Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — elaborated on what his desired playing style would be at the college level.
“Fast-paced, pushing the ball, getting into pick-and-roll, five-out,” Rosser said, while noting how this offensive playing style would allow him to use his screen-setting abilities.
To these points, Pope’s first Kentucky team ranked 10th in the nation in adjusted offensive efficiency per KenPom, as part of a campaign that saw the Wildcats reach the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019.
When discussing the Kentucky program, Rosser was also quick to mention the Wildcats’ track record of producing NBA players.
The vast majority of that work, obviously, was overseen by former coach John Calipari, who had 50 former UK players selected in the NBA draft during his 15-year run in Lexington.
But Pope is slowly building his own foundation of NBA draft success.
Last month’s draft saw two players from last season’s Kentucky team — wing Koby Brea and center Amari Williams — selected in the second round. These picks represented the first two NBA draft selections for Pope as a college head coach. Several other Wildcats from Pope’s first Kentucky team are currently playing in the NBA’s Summer League in the hopes of landing a roster spot.
