5-star 2023 wing Justin Edwards picks up Kentucky offer on official visit

Philadelphia (Pa.) Imhotep Institute wing Justin Edwards is one of the most prized recruits in the 2023 class, and a big offer came his away on Friday night.

The five-star wing announced on Twitter that he has picked up an offer from Kentucky while on his official visit to Lexington this weekend.

Edwards in the No. 9 overall prospect in the 2023 class, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Blessed to receive an offer from the university of kentucky @KentuckyMBB pic.twitter.com/zNKIey69OH

— 5⭐️ (@Jedwards3_) November 20, 2021

The 6-foot-6, 180-pound Edwards also holds offers from Auburn, UConn, DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette and Penn State among others. Kentucky is his first official visit.

With their top-ranked 2022 class all but sewn up, the Wildcats have turned their attention to 2023. Kentucky is considered the favorite for London (Ky.) North Laurel four-star combo guard Reed Sheppard, who will announce his decision Saturday. Fellow-five star Robert Dillingham also recently took an official visit to Lexington and included the Wildcats in his top five schools. Joining them are Kansas, LSU, Memphis and North Carolina State.

Justin Edwards has elite versatility as a wing

Edwards’ high school head coach, Andre Noble, told KSR earlier this month that the five-star wing’s versatility is what separates his game from other top players in the country.

“With his length, he’s really versatile. Can really shoot the ball. What’s the most impressive thing to me about Justin Edwards is how much he’s improved,” Noble said. “He didn’t come in as the ninth-grader that was top 20 in the country. That’s not who he was. He wasn’t top 200 in the country.”

“He’s just a worker, he works really hard and has really improved his game. I’m really proud of what he has done.”

As for Kentucky’s pitch, Noble says John Calipari has been clear with his message from the start. It’s one that is resonating well with Edwards.

“He’s been consistent. It isn’t for everyone,” Noble said of Calipari. “But it’s a great opportunity when you look at all the things that happen there under Coach Cal. Justin understands that. He has loved Kentucky since he was a little kid. The level of interest and Coach Cal coming to his high school, and sitting there and talking to him about ball and life–because that’s a big part of Coach Cal’s pitch is life.”