A top basketball recruit plans to visit UK. Could he join for next season?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- UK basketball is hosting class of 2027 small forward Ryan Hampton for a recruiting visit.
- Hampton is a five-star prospect in the 2027 recruiting group.
- Hampton has been the subject of potential reclassification rumors into the 2026 group.
As the watch continues to see which school will land Iowa State transfer Milan Momcilovic from the NCAA transfer portal for next season, Kentucky basketball will dedicate some time this week to host a high-level class of 2027 recruit.
Ryan Hampton, a five-star small forward in the 2027 recruiting group, is planning to visit Kentucky for a recruiting visit this week. The news of Hampton’s planned visit to Lexington was first reported by 247Sports.
Hampton — who has been the subject of reclassification rumors that would see him potentially join this year’s recruiting class — is a 6-foot-6 small forward whom 247Sports ranks as the No. 6 overall prospect in the 2027 recruiting group.
Hampton plays prep basketball at DME Academy in Florida. That’s the same prep program that produced Louisville one-and-done guard Mikel Brown Jr., who is expected to be a lottery pick in this month’s NBA draft.
Hampton also plays travel basketball on the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League circuit, and UK coaches watched him play during a Nike EYBL event in May in Memphis, Tennessee.
One of the major storylines during that EYBL session centered whether Hampton would stay in the 2027 recruiting class or move up to the 2026 class, which would see him begin his college career later this year.
In recent weeks, Hampton has gone on the record as saying he intends to stay in the 2027 recruiting class. So far this spring on the EYBL circuit, Hampton is averaging 22.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per game while playing for two different programs, LivOn and Nightrydas.
Pope and members of the UK coaching staff conducted an in-home recruiting visit with Hampton in April.
Hampton’s older brother is R.J. Hampton, who was a major recruiting target for Kentucky when John Calipari was the program’s head coach. In May 2019, the older Hampton elected to bypass college entirely and begin his pro basketball career in New Zealand. He was then selected as a first-round pick in the 2020 NBA draft.
While the younger Hampton has yet to formally report a scholarship offer from the Cats, there’s clearly major interest on both sides of this recruitment. Kentucky has officially extended 19 scholarship offers to players in the 2027 class.
Pope and the Cats are looking for a major bounceback with the 2027 recruiting group after a poor showing this past recruiting cycle. UK’s only two high school commits from the 2026 class are four-star point guard Mason Williams and unranked guard Zyon Hawthorne. Williams is a son of new UK assistant coach Mo Williams, and Hawthorne is a younger brother of Kentucky forward Braydon Hawthorne.
