4-star '24 center Somto Cyril set to visit Kentucky this week

John Calipari has already successfully recruited one Overtime Elite product for the upcoming season. Could he add another one to the 2023-24 roster?

According to KSR’s Jack Pilgrim, four-star class of 2024 center Somto Cyril is set to visit the University of Kentucky on Thursday, June 8. Pilgrim also reports that the 6-foot-10, 250-pound native of Nigeria is a candidate to reclassify to the class of 2023 and is already eligible to enroll at college. Cyril was teammates on OTE’s Cold Hearts with Kentucky freshman guard Robert Dillingham, who arrived on campus earlier this month.

Cyril, nicknamed “Baby Shaq”, is considered the No. 31 overall prospect and No. 4 ranked center in the class of 2024 by the On3 Industry Ranking.

2024 four-star center Somto Cyril will visit Kentucky starting Thursday, sources tell KSR

Reclass candidate for 2023. Eligible to enroll immediately

— Jack Pilgrim (@JackPilgrimKSR) June 6, 2023

Rumblings of a potential reclass have been swirling for weeks now, with Dillingham even pitching the idea to Cyril during an Instagram Live on May 22 and encouraging him to choose the ‘Cats.

“Why don’t you just class up (to 2023) and come to Kentucky?” Dillingham questioned. “That would be a great move. We didn’t get Hunter Dickinson to come to Kentucky.”

“Tell Coach Cal to hit me up,” Cyril responded. “Tell him to hit me up.”

Cyril, who boasts a 7-foot-5 wingspan and is believed by many to have a college-ready game, has been hearing from the Kentucky coaching staff throughout his recruitment, dating back to June 2022, although no official scholarship offer has been announced yet.

During the 2022-23 season with OTE, Cyril averaged 8.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 3.4 blocks per outing while shooting over 66 percent from the floor.

Calipari could have as many as eight freshmen on the roster for next season. Kentucky is trending as the favorite to land a pair of 2023 three-star recruits in SF Jordan Burks (also from OTE) and Indiana SG Joey Hart. Burks arrived in Lexington earlier this week for an official visit and will announce his commitment on Wednesday while Hart is also expected to visit UK sometime this week with a decision coming in the near future.

Along with Dillingham, Kentucky also has freshmen DJ Wagner, Justin Edwards, Aaron Bradshaw, and Reed Sheppard in the fold for this coming season, which equates to the top-ranked 2023 recruiting class in the nation.