5-star PF Caleb Wilson begins Kentucky official visit this weekend

Now with two commitments locked in (and the nation’s top-ranked recruiting class that comes with it), Kentucky head coach Mark Pope is beginning to hit his groove on the trail. He and his staff will host another five-star prospect this weekend in hopes of adding another piece to the 2025-26 puzzle.

6-foot-9 power forward Caleb Wilson will take his official visit to Kentucky beginning on Friday and continuing through Sunday. The Wildcats football team will take on No. 1 Georgia on Saturday at Kroger Field, where Wilson will likely make an appearance. The Holy Innocents Episcopal School (GA) product is the first major official visitor of the late-summer/early-fall season for Pope, who will look to roll out the red carpet. Wilson is ranked No. 4 overall in the 2025 class by the On3 Industry Ranking.

As some might remember, Wilson was a priority recruit under former head coach John Calipari (and even visited campus for an OV back in the 2023-24 season). Kentucky hung around in Wilson’s recruitment once Pope was brought on, but soon began to fade as the spring went along. Until around July that is, when the Wildcats began to seriously ramp up its interest in Wilson.

“Really, we’re excited about our return trip to BBN,” Wilson’s dad, Jerry Wilson, told KSR+.

Wilson is down to a group of 12 finalists: Kentucky, Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Duke, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Ohio State, Oregon, Tennessee, Central Florida, and Southern California. He’s already taken a pair of official visits to Auburn and North Carolina with upcoming trips to Central Florida and Alabama.

Kentucky is making a serious push though. Pope brought three of his assistants to Georgia last week to watch Wilson work out at his school. Other coaches were there (including Calipari), but no program brought as many staff members as the Wildcats. Does that ultimately matter? We can’t say for sure, but it’s clear that Kentucky is making it known to Wilson that he’s a priority target moving forward.

Georgia Tech is also making Wilson a primary recruit. Arkansas and Alabama remain heavily in the mix. On3’s Joe Tipton and Jamie Shaw have said to watch out for a potential push from BYU.

Wilson spent the summer on the Nike EYBL circuit playing for Nightrydas Elite, which won the 17U Peach Jam Championship with Pope watching from the sidelines. Across seven games played at Peach Jam, Wilson averaged 17.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.8 blocks, 2.3 assists, and 1.9 steals per game. He shot 62 percent from the field and was named Peach Jam Defensive MVP for his efforts.

“Caleb is a do-it-all kid,” Holy Innocents head coach Mario Mays told Jacob Polacheck of KSR+ in August. “At 6-foot-9, he’s as good as any guard I’ve seen and he can rebound and affect so many shots at the high school level. It’s a game-changer. His defensive potential is unlimited. Offensively, he makes plays like a guard at 6-9. That’s what separates Caleb and makes him a special guy.”

Kentucky has landed commitments from a pair of Top 25 prospects in SG Jasper Johnson (No. 12) and C Malachi Moreno (No. 25), both natives of the Bluegrass. The next step for Pope is landing an elite recruit outside of the state. Could Wilson be the first to make it happen?