Predicting how Kentucky finishes its 2023 recruiting class

Kentucky is one of those programs in recruiting that everyone has an eye on. Love them or hate them, people pay attention to who John Calipari will be landing and what he is going after.

There are a lot of moving pieces that could quickly fall into place for Big Blue Nation. So let’s go through their class and see where things stand with their top targets.

Before we dive into their targets, let’s talk about their commits. Kentucky currently has two players committed in their 2023 class, five-star guard Robert Dillingham and four-star guard Reed Sheppard.

These two players currently give Kentucky the No. 2 spot, behind North Carolina, in On3’s 2023 Team Recruiting Rankings.

Five-star SG DJ Wagner

DJ Wagner’s recruitment has been quiet, but it has been a heated Louisville and Kentucky battle. The draw of each, Kentucky coach John Calipari recruited and coached Dajuan Wagner, Sr. at Memphis. Louisville coach Kenny Payne shared a backcourt with Milt Wagner at Louisville.

Wagner is said to be announcing during, or around, Peach Jam. I wrote an intel piece last week, and nothing has changed since. Look for Calipari to win this one.

Five-star SF Justin Edwards

Justin Edwards has long been a Tennessee lean. So much so that I entered my expert pick for Tennessee a few months ago. Since then, Kentucky head coach John Calipari has personally taken over Edwards’ recruitment. This shift has made up a lot of ground for Kentucky, creating a recruiting battle.

Edwards was initially set to commit at Peach Jam. However, we are hearing that may not happen now. From sources close to the situation, it sounds like the kid wants to be at Kentucky, and people around him want him to be at Tennessee. This one is not over; however, as of this writing, let’s give Kentucky a slight lead with the understanding things could shift again.

Five-star C Aaron Bradshaw

A couple of weeks ago, I placed my expert pick for Aaron Bradshaw to choose Kentucky. I put out my intel piece, and soon after that, Bradshaw went public, saying he would be announcing his commitment soon. Things have slowed a bit with regards to Bradshaw and Kentucky. According to sources, word got out that Bradshaw was still looking toward the G-League, and Kentucky was hesitant to accept the commitment of a kid who may end up choosing the G-League path at a later date.

Sources tell me this one is not over yet, and there may still be a door open for Bradshaw at Kentucky. I don’t have a feel yet for what Kentucky will ultimately do here, but Louisville and G-League remain in play as well.

Five-star C Ugonna Kingsley

Kentucky head coach John Calipari was front and center to watch 2023 No. 5 ranked Ugonna Kingsley at the 2022 NBA Academy Games last week. There is still a bit of an unknown factor with Kinglsey. The 6-foot-10 center transferred in January to Putnam (CT) Science Academy from the NBA Academy in Africa. Kinglsey, a native of Nigeria, is the premier defensive big in high school basketball right now.

Sources tell me the word here is that Kingsley is looking to commit to Kentucky as a part of the 2022 class with an eye toward redshirting his freshman year.

Others

Kentucky does not cast an extensive net during the recruiting process. These next two or so weeks could be huge for Big Blue Nation, with a lot of pieces scheduled to fall into place. Here is a look at the other players Kentucky has offered in the 2023 class.

Five-star SF Ron Holland
Five-star PF KJ Evans
Five-star SF Mookie Cook
Four-star SF JJ Taylor
Four-star Andrej Stojakovic