BREAKING: 5-star wing Justin Edwards commits to Kentucky

John Calipari has landed his prized wing in the rising senior class, as 2023 five-star small forward Justin Edwards has committed to Kentucky.

Edwards, standing 6-foot-8, 180 pounds, chose the Wildcats over the Tennessee Volunteers on Monday. He previously held offers from Auburn, Connecticut, Kansas, LSU, Michigan, Villanova and UCLA, among others.

“I grew up always wanting to play for Kentucky,” he told On3 in a statement.

It was a back-and-forth battle between Kentucky and Tennessee for the better part of the last year. Though Edwards grew up rooting for the Wildcats and dreamed of playing for Calipari in Lexington, the Volunteers emerged as the leader throughout the winter and into the spring. Rick Barnes and the Tennessee coaching staff pitched him on being the focal point of the class, opting against recruiting other players at his position while promising a star role in year one. Meanwhile, Kentucky had offers out to several other players on the wing and was clearly looking to form a class filled with five-star talent.

Edwards felt the love from the Volunteers and appreciated the way they prioritized him in the class. That momentum began to shift, though, when Calipari took a hands-on approach to close out the spring and throughout the summer.

It started with the UK head coach bringing his entire staff with him to visit Edwards at his home in Philadelphia in late April. Calipari then visited him during every in-person recruiting period, ranging from back-to-back Philly Live events in June, NBPA Top 100 Camp in Orlando, EYBL Session Four in Kansas City and the 2022 Nike Peach Jam in North Augusta.

His direct contact matched his efforts to sit courtside at every one of Edwards’ games this summer, something the five-star wing noticed.

“It’s Coach Calipari, so if he’s reaching out to you more than all the other coaches, it must mean something,” he told KSR at Peach Jam this past week. “That’s a big thing to me.”

Edwards took an official visit to Lexington back in November, a trip that resulted in a scholarship offer from the program.

“(What stood out during the trip is) their playing style, it’s a pro-style offense,” Edwards told KSR. “Kentucky being based off basketball was good. The energy and stuff was just crazy. … It’s Kentucky, you know? I don’t know what else to say. They get people to the pros, I would say. (Calipari) has been very successful at it.”

The five-star wing joins Kentucky’s 2023 recruiting class that already includes five-star guard Rob Dillingham and four-star guard Reed Sheppard. The Wildcats are also in hot pursuit of DJ Wagner, Aaron Bradshaw and Ron Holland to round out the class. Add any combination of the three, and UK is in serious contention to finish with the No. 1 overall class in the final On3 team recruiting rankings.

Edwards is coming off an impressive week at Peach Jam, where he averaged 15.3 points on 43 percent shooting overall to go with 7.0 rebounds and 3.0 steals per contest. He previously averaged 18.3 points and 8.3 rebounds as a junior at Imhotep Charter (PA), leading the Panthers (29-4) to the Class 5A state title.

Now, Edwards is a Kentucky Wildcat.

Welcome to the family.