Did Tyran Stokes just release his top five list of schools?

Just hours after it was announced that Tyran Stokes had officially signed with Nike, the five-star recruit dropped what sure looks to be his preferred list of schools.

Stokes posted five pictures from each of his five official visits to his X account on Friday afternoon. He’s taken official visits this year to Kansas (April), Kentucky (June), Southern California (September), and Oregon (September). Stokes also made a trip to see his hometown Louisville Cardinals last fall for an official. Those are the five schools that he’s been connected to the most throughout the course of his recruitment, and it would appear those are the five he’ll be deciding between.

Of note, Gonzaga is a school that’s also been in the mix. Stokes’ mother told Jacob Polacheck of KSR+ over the summer that the Bulldogs could end up getting an official visit. However, a trip to Spokane has not yet been announced. She also said a commitment decision could come before the start of the high school basketball season, which is right around the corner.

Stokes is rated as the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2026 class by the Rivals Industry Ranking.

pic.twitter.com/o8IBiKQlzX

— tyran stokes (@tyran_stokes) October 3, 2025

Over the last several months, Kentucky has been the perceived leader in the race for Stokes, with other schools fluctuating in and out of being considered secondary frontrunners. In spite of his new deal with Nike, Kansas — an adidas school — is making a strong push. Oregon booster Phil Knight, who co-founded Nike, could make things interesting for the Ducks, while the Trojans continue to lurk. The one school not mentioned as often as of late though is Louisville, another adidas school.

If we want to get deep into the weeds with our tin foil hats on, I’ll note that Stokes’ visit to Louisville was nearly a full year ago. And yes, Stokes did post the picture from his UL visit on its own, compared to the other teams being grouped into one post, but a conspiracy theorist might tell you that the first four schools mentioned in the original post are the ones to beat — Louisville is just getting the hat-on-the-table treatment as a hat tip to the town he was born in.

It could also mean absolutely nothing! But there’s nothing like over-analyzing the cryptic thoughts of a teenager. We’ve got more on Stokes’ recruitment over at KSR+.

Want more Kentucky basketball intel? Join KSR Plus for access to bonus content and KSBoard, KSR’s message board, to chat with fellow Cats fans and get exclusive scoop.