By: Casey Madison (X/BleedBlueCasey)
Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats continue to search for prospects on the recruiting trail, this time targeting one of the top big men in the nation. On monday, Kentucky offered Ethan Taylor (#21/247). A 7-foot 245lbs center from Link Academy (Missouri) in the Class of 2026.
Taylor, who previously played at Shawnee Mission Northwest in Kansas before transferring, is ranked as the No. 1 center according to 247Sports’ composite rankings. He’s a consensus top-25 prospect across other recruiting sites, and has quickly risen up the national rankings after a great summer on the EYBL circuit with MOKAN Elite.
The offer from Kentucky comes after a strong few months of evaluation, where Taylor impressed coaches with his rim proctection. Most notably, in EYBL Session 1, where he averaged 11 points per game, and 9 rebounds, and was one of the top players in multiple efficiency categories. Throughout all of EYBL this summer he averaged 9.4 points per game, 8.8 rebounds per game, 1.2 blocks per game, shooting 75% from the field.
Big-Time Interest
The Kansas native has no shortage of offers and programs interested in him. In addition to Kentucky, Taylor holds offers from Kansas, Baylor, Houston, Indiana, Purdue, Tennessee, and others. Kansas is widely seen as the early favorite, however there is still plenty of time. Recruiting is always subject to change, but it will be interesting to see if Kentucky’s late entry could help shake things up.
Kentucky’s Frontcourt Focus
Under Coach Pope, Kentucky has emphasized a more balanced balanced attack in the frontcourt looking for most versatile bigs than in past years — Taylor fits this mold perfectly of a more modern big. He brings elite size, length, and a defensive presence that would help anchor a loaded frontcourt in the foreseeable future. This is assuming you have the likes of Mo Dioubate, Malachi Moreno, Andrija Jelavic, and others transfer/return to Kentucky. Taylor’s mobility and improving touc, and elite finishing (75% from the field referenced earlier) around the rim make more than just a shot-blocker.
With the offer now on the table, Kentucky will likely turn up the heat to schedule a visit to Lexington in the coming months. Taylor hasn’t trimmed down a list yet, but expect Kentucky to be in contention moving forward.
One of the better games he had this summer against a pretty solid team — just thought i would share:
