Which players are visiting for Kentucky basketball’s first recruiting weekend?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- UK basketball is hosting two class of 2026 recruits for official visits this weekend.
- Small forward Maximo Adams and guard Caleb Holt are visiting Mark Pope and the Wildcats.
- UK is still looking for its first commitment from the 2026 recruiting class.
Kentucky basketball’s first recruiting weekend of the 2025-26 school year is set to include a pair of official visitors.
Mark Pope’s UK program will host two class of 2026 prospects this weekend in Lexington on official visits: Four-star small forward Maximo Adams and five-star shooting guard Caleb Holt. These visits to Kentucky will coincide with a major UK football home game, as Mark Stoops’ Wildcats host No. 20 Ole Miss for a Saturday afternoon game at Kroger Field.
Adams was initially expected to be the only visitor this weekend for Pope and company. A 6-foot-7 small forward, Adams has a visit list that also includes Southern California, Michigan State, Kansas, Texas, North Carolina and Duke. Adams made a trip to Southern Cal over the summer. His visit to UK this weekend kicks off an active fall official visit period for him. After Kentucky, Adams is set to be at Michigan State next weekend, Kansas the week after that and Texas the week after that.
Adams will also visit North Carolina at the end of October and Duke in early November.
On Tuesday afternoon, Adams included Kentucky in a list of his final 11 schools still under consideration. Also on that list: Arizona State, Duke, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan State, North Carolina, Purdue, Southern California, Texas and Washington.
“Maximo Adams is a unique two-way prospect who profiles as a promising complementary forward at the next level,” Zach Welch, an analyst for Pro Insight Basketball, told the Herald-Leader. “His most immediate value adds come from his diverse scoring arsenal and his tenacious rebounding.”
Adams is ranked by the 247Sports Composite as a four-star prospect and as the No. 83 overall recruit in the 2026 recruiting group. Kentucky extended a scholarship offer to Adams in July following Peach Jam, the season-ending Nike grassroots basketball event that Adams played in with his Vegas Elite travel team.
“While he is capable of making quick reads, he is someone who thrives when he is able to go to work and is capable of making good things happen when he gets frontcourt touches, due in no small part to his mismatch generation ability,” Welch added about Adams.
UK is also recruiting Obinna Ekezie Jr., a 7-1 center in the 2027 recruiting class who played for Vegas Elite’s 16-and-under team this year.
Adams plays prep basketball at the Sierra Canyon School, located about 30 miles Northwest of Los Angeles. The basketball powerhouse has helped produce several college players in recent years, including Marvin Bagley III (Duke), Bronny James (Southern Cal), Christian Koloko (Arizona), Ziaire Williams (Stanford) and ex-Cat Brandon Boston Jr.
Also of note are the family ties that Adams has to Pope. Adams is the younger brother of Marcus Adams Jr., a former four-star recruit in the 2023 class who spent an injury-riddled freshman season playing for Pope at BYU during the 2023-24 campaign. Pope and Cody Fueger — who is entering his 11th season as an assistant coach under Pope — played key roles in getting Adams to BYU.
Fueger is also leading Kentucky’s recruitment of the younger Adams.
In addition to Adams, Kentucky will be hosting Holt for a visit this weekend, although his travel schedule to Lexington has shifted several times. Holt — a 6-5 shooting guard who is considered one of the elite players in the 2026 recruiting class — had initially set his Kentucky visit for this weekend, before it was then reportedly pushed back to next weekend.
Earlier this week, though, it was reported that Holt’s trip to UK was back on for this weekend.
As things would have it, Holt will end up taking his Kentucky visit just one week after visiting Arkansas and former UK head coach John Calipari. Holt also has visits lined up to Alabama and Auburn in October. Holt — who is an Alabama native — previously visited Ole Miss in the spring.
Holt is ranked as the No. 3 overall player in the 2026 recruiting class. He will spend his senior season playing at Prolific Prep — a school that relocated this year from California to Florida — after previously playing in Alabama and Georgia.
“Beyond any individual basketball skill, his intangibles — determination, grit and leadership — help him consistently impact winning basketball,” Welch, the Pro Insight Basketball analyst, said of Holt. “Beyond this, (Holt) is a fearsome defender, both with the capability to blow plays up off the ball and some upside as a versatile on-ball defender.”
Holt has a name, image and likeness deal in place with Adidas and was one of the top performers on the Adidas grassroots circuit this summer with his Game Elite team. Holt and Game Elite won the Adidas 3SSB championship.
Ahead of his trip to Lexington, Holt should already be familiar with some facets of Pope and the Kentucky program. Earlier this summer, Holt received on-court instruction from Pope (and other college coaches) during a USA Basketball training camp in Colorado that was used to determine the United States’ roster for the 2025 FIBA Under-19 World Cup in Switzerland.
Holt was part of the winning American team at that event, alongside the likes of fellow class of 2026 UK recruits Jordan Smith and Tyran Stokes, as well as UK freshman guard Jasper Johnson. Holt averaged 10 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.7 steals and 2.1 assists per game at the World Cup, which Pope watched in person in Switzerland.
“Holt is also unafraid of physicality and using his strong frame and athletic gifts on the offensive end,” Welch added. “Especially as an uber-efficient slasher and a fearless offensive rebounder.”
Holt’s international basketball experience with the United States also includes further ties to Kentucky. Holt won the 2024 FIBA Under-17 World Cup in Turkey along with UK recruits Smith and Stokes, and Holt was part of the winning American squad at the 2023 FIBA Americas Under-16 Championship in Mexico with Stokes and UK sophomore forward Jayden Quaintance.
Kentucky basketball continues to recruit the 2026 class
Pope and the Wildcats are still seeking their first commitment from a prospect in the 2026 recruiting group.
Only three top players from the 2026 recruiting class have made their college commitments: former Kentucky recruit Jason Crowe Jr. (Missouri), JJ Andrews (Arkansas) and Elijah Williams (Baylor).
The Wildcats have 20 scholarship offers out to uncommitted players in the 2026 recruiting group. Of those 20, 12 have visits scheduled to Lexington over the coming months.
In addition to Adams and Holt, UK will be welcoming Cole Cloer, Anthony Thompson, Arafan Diane, Cam Williams, Deron Rippey Jr., Christian Collins, Bryson Howard, Ethan Taylor, Josh Irving and the aforementioned Smith to campus.
Wednesday marked the start of the men’s college basketball recruiting period for the 2025-26 year. This recruiting period will run through April, with only a few days marked off for the “dead period” in November, December and in early April.
Already during the new recruiting period, Kentucky coaches have made in-person visits to see guards Tay Kinney, Rippey and Smith, as well as small forward Baba Oladotun and Diane, a 7-foot-1 center.
Kinney has Kentucky among his final eight schools. Rippey has the Wildcats among his final 10 schools.
Diane, who is ranked as the No. 15 overall recruit in the 2026 class, will be visiting Kentucky next weekend (Sept. 12).
This story was originally published September 4, 2025 at 6:00 AM.
