Kentucky Basketball’s 2027 recruiting board is starting to take shape as official visits get underway and some of the top players in the class begin narrowing down their recruitments.
Mark Pope and his staff have cast a pretty wide net in this class, but we’re starting to get a much better idea of who Kentucky is really prioritizing, where the Cats have some momentum, and which recruitments probably aren’t going anywhere.
There’s also a handful of 2028 prospects worth keeping an eye on, especially with several already considering a move into the 2027 class.
So, let’s break down every recruit Kentucky has offered, where things currently stand, and what I’m hearing behind the scenes.
Official Visits Set
Nasir Anderson — PG — 6’3”, 210 lbs. — 2027
After missing the entire summer because of hip surgery, Nasir didn’t waste any time getting his recruitment moving. He cut his list to 10 schools and scheduled eight official visits.
Indiana and UConn have not scheduled visits yet.
Providence — September 4
Virginia — September 11
Syracuse — September 19
USC — September 24
Kentucky — October 5
Georgia — October 9
Tennessee — October 15
North Carolina — October 30
Georgia, Kentucky, and Tennessee are the three programs that have built and established the longest relationships and are considered the three schools to beat at this point, I’m told.
Georgia is the home-state school, but with a commitment and expected commitment from Top-30 prospects Justin Wise and Jarvis Hayes Jr., whose father is an assistant coach on staff, it seems reasonable to wonder how much NIL will play a role when it comes to landing a Top 5-10 player at a program like Georgia.
Tennessee has remained heavily involved, mainly because of the relationships Nasir has built with assistant coaches Amorrow Morgan and Justin Gainey, who is now the head coach at NC State.
Kentucky has built a strong relationship as well, with assistant coach Mikhail McLean and head coach Mark Pope serving as the primary recruiters. I’m told the addition of Mo Williams has been a massive swing for Kentucky in Nasir’s eyes, and they’ve been in consistent communication.
Based on conversations I’ve had, it seems Kentucky has zeroed in on Nasir Anderson as its lead point guard target over Reese Alston.
It’s also worth noting that Nasir has been teammates with fellow Kentucky target Lewis Uvwo for the past two years at Prolific Prep.
Brady Pettigrew — PG — 6’3”, 185 lbs. — 2028
Brady had a really productive summer for Brad Beal Elite, showing off his versatility as a lead guard who can do it all. He has already earned plenty of Power Five offers and has an extensive list of schools recruiting him hard.
Here’s his official visit schedule so far:
Michigan — September 12
Indiana — September 19
Florida — September 25
Illinois — October 2
North Carolina — October 9
Kentucky — October 23
BYU — October 30
Ohio State — November 6
Arkansas — January 1
If you’re wondering why a 2028 recruit is scheduling so many official visits this early, it’s because Brady, like several others, is heavily considering reclassifying into the 2027 class.
I’m told the majority of these programs are recruiting him with that possibility in mind, with some even prioritizing him over other 2027 guards.
It’s still early to call favorites, but Illinois, Kentucky, Florida, North Carolina, and Louisville have been linked as some of the programs consistently prioritizing him the most.
CJ Rosser — PF — 6’9”, 195 lbs. — 2027
CJ hasn’t announced his official visit dates yet, so we don’t know exactly when they’ll happen, but I made a post on X within the last week after confirming with a source that CJ will visit Lexington.
The schools currently expected to receive visits are Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, and North Carolina State.
It has been a North Carolina vs. Kentucky battle up to this point for the five-star power forward. Despite other programs getting visits, I still anticipate it coming down to those two.
It’s no secret North Carolina has led and essentially holds this recruitment in its hands right now.
Kentucky has remained consistent in its pursuit, and the entire staff has done a great job establishing a relationship with CJ and his camp. However, I don’t think Kentucky wins this recruitment without UNC either messing it up or moving on themselves, and neither seems very likely.
It would be a big win for first-year head coach Mike Malone to bring the five-star, arguably top overall prospect, back to where he’s from.
I think North Carolina lands CJ in the end.
Benji Berrouet — PF — 6’8”, 240 lbs. — 2028
From AAU to the top camps to FIBA, Benji Berrouet was arguably the most productive player in the 2028 class this spring and summer.
He absolutely dominated, earning handfuls of Power Five offers, including Arkansas, Houston, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, Miami, Michigan, Texas, and more. He now holds 34 official offers.
Kentucky made sure not only to offer early, but also to get him on campus for his first official visit, scheduled for October 9. He is also officially scheduled to visit UCLA on October 28.
It’s probably too early to call out specific favorites, but it is worth noting that reclassification talks have picked up significantly recently. I’m told Kentucky is specifically pushing hard for Benji as a 2027 recruit, not a 2028 recruit.
With Kentucky backing off Dawson Battie earlier this summer and seemingly trailing North Carolina for CJ Rosser, it makes sense that Kentucky is looking at other options at the power forward spot.
Benji could be a home run in what appears to be a weaker 2027 interior/power forward class.
Lewis Uvwo — C — 6’11”, 230 lbs. — 2027
The latest intel on Lewis Uvwo’s recruitment suggests a few things.
The biggest is that talk of an official commitment coming in October is really heating up.
He set his first four official visits, beginning last week:
Baylor — August 28
California — September 4
Kentucky — September 11
Providence — September 18
Duke was thought to be the stiffest competition for Lewis, but is now apparently pushing harder for 2028 center Yann Kamagate, whose reclassification into 2027 is expected to come at any time.
Arkansas has apparently moved on to other options as well, so it’ll be interesting to see what other visits Lewis schedules, considering he essentially has every offer in the country.
Kentucky has a legitimate opportunity to pull far ahead in this recruitment next weekend when Lewis gets to Lexington for his official visit, and Kentucky is already carrying some momentum behind the scenes.
Final Lists Kentucky Has Made
Cayden Daughtry — PG — 6’0”, 165 lbs. — 2027
After the summer Cayden had, it’s no surprise that nearly every major school in the country has officially offered him.
Kentucky is still technically involved after recently making an extended cut list of 14 that Cayden released, but I wouldn’t expect them to be serious contenders in his recruitment.
His final 14 are Arkansas, Florida, Florida State, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisville, Miami, Michigan, Providence, Tennessee, UConn, USC, Vanderbilt, and Villanova.
Iowa and Miami are the two main schools that seem to be further ahead than anyone else as he begins his official visits.
He started with Florida State last weekend, followed by Tennessee this weekend. Those are two of the schools in the next tier that you’re hearing the most about for Cayden, along with Michigan and Louisville.
Chase Lumpkin — PG — 6’4”, 180 lbs. — 2027
After taking two unofficial visits to Lexington last year, Kentucky made Chase’s Top 6 along with Alabama, Arkansas, Louisville, Michigan, and USC.
Kentucky had heavy interest early on, but its recruiting priorities changed once the Wildcats landed Zoom Diallo and Alex Wilkins from the transfer portal. They’ve backed off certain recruits more and more as the summer has gone on.
At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if Kentucky doesn’t even get an official visit.
It sounds like Alabama has a significant lead, with Louisville, Michigan, and USC still actively pursuing the four-star lead scoring guard.
Arkansas is thought to be prioritizing other players, I’m told.
Reese Alston — PG — 6’2”, 175 lbs. — 2027
Reese’s recruitment has been interesting, especially when it comes to Kentucky’s pursuit.
Kentucky has remained engaged and interested since offering him last year at Big Blue Madness.
Reese recently released a final seven that included Houston, Kentucky, Louisville, LSU, Tennessee, Wichita State, and Vanderbilt.
Once again, those transfer additions changed the priorities for Kentucky’s staff.
Earlier this summer, it sounded like Kentucky was still prioritizing Reese heavily and an official visit was in the works for October. However, since then, it sounds like Kentucky’s staff has backed off in favor of Nasir Anderson, and an official visit may not actually come to fruition.
We’ll see how that plays out, but for now, Louisville, LSU, and Wichita State appear to be the three schools to beat, with Tennessee also trying to make a late push as it looks to land a freshman point guard.
DeMarcus Henry — SF — 6’7”, 200 lbs. — 2027
DeMarcus released a final eight of Arkansas, BYU, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, North Carolina, Ohio State, and UConn.
He just recently visited Louisville, and it’s expected that he will take official visits to all eight finalists. However, Kentucky isn’t expected to be among the final choices, so it will be interesting to see if they ultimately decide to host him on an official visit.
Duke has also been added to his finalists since offering after he originally released his Top 8.
What once seemed like a BYU, North Carolina, and Ohio State battle has changed considerably. Duke has essentially replaced BYU, and North Carolina has reportedly pulled significantly ahead of Ohio State.
Family connections keep the Buckeyes involved for now, but it increasingly looks like this will come down to Duke vs. North Carolina for the five-star wing.
Other Recruits With Kentucky Offers
Beckham Black — PG — 6’3”, 185 lbs. — 2027
Arguably the top player in the country.
He hasn’t had much, if any, communication with Kentucky since being offered.
He is visiting Florida this weekend, but the main schools separating themselves appear to be Duke, Arkansas, USC, and Texas.
I’d be surprised if it isn’t one of those programs at this point.
NaVorro Bowman Jr. — PG — 6’3”, 185 lbs. — 2027
NaVorro earned his Kentucky offer after a big summer and was hearing from the Wildcats consistently at first.
Contact has since dropped significantly, and Kentucky may not be involved here at all anymore.
The main schools I’m hearing are Texas, Arizona, UConn, North Carolina, and Illinois.
He currently has official visits scheduled with four of those five schools, with North Carolina being the exception.
It will be tough to pull him away from what appears to be an Arizona/Texas race, but he remains open.
Adan Diggs — SG — 6’4”, 185 lbs. — 2027
I think Arizona has this recruitment all but locked up based on everything I’ve heard.
I’d be surprised if he ends up anywhere but home.
Alabama, Arkansas, BYU, Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, and North Carolina are all programs that have been prioritizing Diggs and attempting to catch Arizona, but Tommy Lloyd’s lead may simply be too large, especially with the home-court advantage.
Jordan Page — SF — 6’6”, 205 lbs. — 2027
Being a North Carolina kid, it’s no surprise that North Carolina and North Carolina State are among the schools prioritizing the five-star forward the most.
Kentucky has remained in contact here and there, but with Ryan Hampton’s commitment, I just don’t see the fit or need to take both.
I wouldn’t consider Kentucky a serious player anymore.
UConn, Texas, Arizona, which has not offered yet, and Indiana are other programs that have remained consistently linked to Page, but his recruitment is a bit more mysterious than others.
AJ Williams — SF — 6’7”, 220 lbs. — 2027
Kentucky just extended an offer to AJ the other day, only a couple of weeks after he officially reclassified from 2028.
They hadn’t been in contact or really recruiting AJ much at all, so I’m honestly kind of shocked they extended an offer at this point.
Kentucky, of course, won’t be a major player here barring something shocking.
Duke was thought to be the main player for the longest time but has seemingly moved on to other recruits.
Arkansas had been pushing hard for a while, but rumors are that they may not be willing to engage in a bidding war.
That leaves BYU and Georgia as the two schools with the most smoke right now, and rumor has it an official commitment could come at any time.
Asa Montgomery — SF — 6’8”, 210 lbs. — 2027
Asa was one of the biggest stock risers of the entire summer, earning multiple high-level Power Five and blue-blood offers, including Kentucky.
Kentucky wasn’t one of the first nine official visits he scheduled, and although I’m told the Wildcats continue to reach out and mutual interest remains on both sides, we’ll have to see if something gets set up quickly.
His official visits, in order, are LSU, Duke, Georgia Tech, Florida, UConn, Providence, North Carolina, Arizona, and Louisville.
His recruitment appears wide open at this point, rightfully so after blowing up and earning so many major offers so quickly.
Time will tell for the Georgia native.
Moussa Kamissoko — SF — 6’8”, 200 lbs. — 2027
Moussa scheduled his first nine official visits, and Kentucky wasn’t included.
I’m told Kentucky continues to reach out, but again, we’ll have to see how quickly they move.
His official visits, in order, are Florida State, Syracuse, Virginia, Oklahoma State, BYU, Illinois, UConn, Louisville, and Baylor.
I’ve heard Louisville, Syracuse, and UConn mentioned the most early in this recruitment, but I’m told it remains wide open.
Howard Williams — SF — 6’7”, 225 lbs. — 2027
Howard has just 12 total offers at this point.
His Power Five offers include Arizona State, California, Florida State, Illinois, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Oklahoma State, SMU, TCU, and Washington.
Kentucky hasn’t remained in as much contact as some other schools, but Howard is still a very intriguing multi-year piece to watch for Kentucky later this season.
Washington received the early June visit, while Arizona State, TCU, and Florida State are the other official visits scheduled so far.
A big year at Dynamic Prep could open his recruitment even further.
Ahmed Nur — PF — 6’10”, 200 lbs. — 2027
Another major stock riser this summer, Ahmed came out of Minnesota and earned a Kentucky offer.
I’ve viewed Kentucky’s interest in him more as a potential CJ Rosser pivot, and I still think that remains true.
Kentucky is still in consistent contact, but it could lose ground to other programs if it continues prioritizing other players above him.
He has officially visited Ole Miss, Purdue, Syracuse, and Florida State.
Indiana, Kansas, and Kentucky are among the major programs involved.
Paul Osaruyi — C — 6’9”, 225 lbs. — 2027
Paul entered the AAU season with some really high expectations and had strong interest from programs like Arkansas, Houston, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, and West Virginia.
He really struggled to live up to five-star expectations or consistently impact the game in other areas.
North Carolina and Arkansas reportedly canceled planned official visits, while programs like Indiana, Houston, Kansas, and Kentucky voluntarily pulled back their recruitments.
In the end, it might not have mattered even if those schools stayed involved.
West Virginia has been a legitimate threat because of some serious established connections for a while now, and given all the surrounding circumstances, the Mountaineers seem like the team most likely to land the now four-star center.
Cheriff Millogo — C — 7’4”, 210 lbs. — 2027
Cheriff hasn’t played since February because of an injury, but he is back to 100% health for his senior season.
Kentucky remains in contact, along with programs like Alabama, BYU, Georgia, TCU, and USC.
It remains to be seen how serious Kentucky’s interest will become, along with the other programs listed.
Akol Nyok — C — 7’1”, 215 lbs. — 2027
A new offer from Kentucky’s staff just yesterday, Akol has been a rankings riser while playing on the Pro16 Circuit.
He has now earned offers from Georgia, Kentucky, Marquette, Maryland, Michigan State, Tennessee, and Virginia Tech.
It’s still very early in what appears likely to be a longer recruitment that will attract plenty of high-level suitors.
Yann Kamagate — C — 7’1”, 220 lbs. — 2028
Yann’s reclassification into the 2027 class is expected to come any day now.
He is actually old enough to reclassify into 2026 and still be draft eligible, so it appears inevitable that he makes the move. Every program recruiting him is doing so with the idea that he will ultimately be a 2027 prospect.
Kentucky has remained significantly involved.
Yann and Lewis Uvwo control a lot of dominoes with their recruitments, and Kentucky has made sure to balance both.
Yann has an offer from nearly every school in the country, but Arkansas, BYU, Duke, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, Michigan, Texas, and USC appear to be the 10 schools at the very top of his list.
Recruits No Longer Being Targeted / Cut Kentucky
Jaxson Davis — PG — 6’1”, 175 lbs. — 2027
Final six: Creighton, Iowa, Marquette, Michigan State, Minnesota, and Ohio State.
Iowa continues to prioritize other recruits.
Marquette, Michigan State, Minnesota, and Ohio State are the four most involved programs, and he’ll visit all four over the next three weeks.
King Gibson — SG — 6’4”, 180 lbs. — 2027
Final 10: Alabama, Arkansas, Baylor, Illinois, Louisville, LSU, Michigan, Providence, Syracuse, and UConn.
King stopped by Louisville to open the first of his first five official visits.
UConn, Arkansas, LSU, and Baylor will also receive visits so far.
Louisville, UConn, and Baylor are the three schools coming up the most early on, while LSU, Arkansas, Providence, and Michigan continue to prioritize the five-star guard more than the others.
Dawson Battie — PF — 6’8”, 220 lbs. — 2027
Kentucky was seriously prioritizing Dawson after officially offering him at Big Blue Madness last year and continued doing so through the early part of this summer.
I’m not sure what changed after he had a fairly good year in the Pro16 League.
Stanford, Nebraska, SMU, and Baylor are the main schools being mentioned the most at this point.
Darius Wabbington — C — 6’10”, 240 lbs. — 2027
Final six: Arizona, Illinois, Indiana, Louisville, North Carolina, and Texas.
Darius cut Kentucky after originally including the Wildcats in his final six.
Kentucky was replaced after the staff wasn’t willing to schedule an official visit once it cooled on Darius and pulled back its recruiting efforts.
Darius appears to be an Arizona lock, and that’s easily the program I hear associated with him the most.
Indiana, Louisville, North Carolina, and Texas continue to prioritize Darius as a top target, while Illinois has essentially been added as a free official visit.
Kentucky remains fluidly involved with plenty of options as we enter fall visits and the basketball season officially starts back up.
I will be keeping a close eye on how Kentucky makes progress on each of these during the recruiting cycle.
Make sure to follow @bigbluedylan and @bleedbnetwork for the latest recruiting updates!
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