How 5-star guard DJ Wagner ended up choosing Kentucky

Five-star guard DJ Wagner has made it official, putting pen to paper with Kentucky to become a Wildcat — the fifth player to sign with the program during the early signing period. He joins five-star prospects Aaron Bradshaw, Justin Edwards and Rob Dillingham, along with four-star guard Reed Sheppard in the 2023 class.

How did we get to this point? Was it always Kentucky for Wagner or did Louisville have a serious shot? Did anyone else emerge as a realistic option for the 6-foot-3 guard out of Camden?

The process wasn’t as clear-cut as you’d expect. In fact, Wagner and his family were thorough in their research of other programs throughout his recruitment, with other programs fighting to land the elite scorer at various points.

“Honestly going back to the recruitment, I think it was much harder for Kentucky to gain traction than many people realize,” 247Sports recruiting expert Travis Branham told KSR. “I think Villanova and Memphis were definitely in a good spot early on. Kentucky had some ground to make up, if you will. That was the course of things for a while there.”

Louisville threw its hat in the ring by hiring Kenny Payne, then with the addition of DJ’s grandfather, Milt Wagner. Those hires, though, weren’t the only reasons the Cardinals picked up brief momentum this spring and early summer. Some individuals in the five-star guard’s camp wanted the Camden native at Louisville with his grandfather.

“Then obviously, when Louisville fired Chris Mack and they hired Kenny Payne, behind the scenes it was pretty known –at least on my end, and that’s one of the reasons I was thinking he would end up at Louisville — that Milt Wagner would be hired. He obviously was hired. It wasn’t just that, though,” Branham added. “It’s hard to bet against family members, but I think there were some people around DJ that did want to see him end up at Louisville. That all played a role in the early Louisville buzz on my end.”

Where did Kentucky’s momentum pick back up?

“As we entered July, things took a big shift. That’s when I took down my Crystal Ball shortly after the FIBA stuff when DJ went over there (Spain) and won a gold medal,” Branham said. “There was still some smoke in the air regarding Kentucky, and there were even some rumblings about the G-League. But after that FIBA World Cup, Kentucky definitely made a big jump based on my information.

“From then on, it was mostly Kentucky buzz on my end, for the most part. The G-League got a little bit more buzz, but it was really just more of a matter of when he would do it (commit to Kentucky) than if he would do it. Kentucky just steadily gained distance on people, and that brings us to where we are today.”

Branham added that Wagner actually took a self-guided tour on Kentucky’s campus when the Nike EYBL was in Louisville back in May. It was one of three visits the standout guard took to Lexington before he officially committed to Kentucky.

“I don’t know if many people know this, but when DJ came to play in EYBL back in May, my information is that he didn’t take an unofficial visit, but he took himself on a self-guided tour of campus,” he said. “There was no university involvement or anything, but he went to see the campus.”

What does Wagner’s commitment mean for Kentucky? And what does it say about John Calipari’s ability to fight off the late competition to sign his prized target?

“It means Calipari clamped down, and when he really clamps down, it’s hard for prospects and players to slip through his grasp,” Branham said. “That just shows the case of this, he knew who he wanted and he was going to do whatever it took to make sure he got him. It wasn’t one of those scenarios where he had this huge, giant obstacle to overcome in terms of a kid’s dream school being somewhere else or whatever. But it shows that when Cal puts it in his mind to go get a player, he still has that ability to lock in and go grab him.”

Now, Calipari gets to coach the player he wanted from the start, the final piece in Kentucky’s elite recruiting class in 2023.

“I have known D.J. his entire life and I’ve always wanted to coach him,” Calipari said Monday. “Above all he is a competitor. He attacks the offensive end and is a versatile scorer, but he is equally as tough on defense. I love the spirit he’ll bring to practice every day, and I love that he wanted to be at Kentucky. He knows that to get the best of himself, he needs to be surrounded by other talented players who are going to match his competitive energy.”

At the end of the day, Calipari got his guy.