John Calipari visiting DJ Wagner to open recruiting period; '24 prospects up next

The Kentucky men’s basketball staff is back on the recruiting trail. Beginning Friday, Sept. 9, the fall recruiting period officially opened. Over the next several months, college coaches across the country will be allowed to make in-person, off-campus contact with potential recruits. John Calipari and his UK staff have wasted no time taking advantage of the rules as they try to close out the 2023 recruiting class.

So where did Cal stop first? New Jersey of course, where he and members of the staff will check in on five-star targets DJ Wagner and Aaron Bradshaw — longtime high school and AAU teammates who are from the area. No surprise. Calipari has been recruiting Wagner for over a decade, and the seven-foot Bradshaw is a perfect complementary piece.

But those two won’t be the only stops on the tour. The recruiting period is set to last through March, with a few dead periods in November and December for holidays. Some prospects will also come to Lexington to experience life on campus and the Rupp Arena atmosphere. Kentucky already has three class of 2023 commits on board, and the staff will make trips to see them all.

Justin Edwards (No. 3 overall, per On3 Consensus), Robert Dillingham (No. 8), and Reed Sheppard (No. 27) are all locked in for the 2023-24 season. Edwards goes to school at Imhotep Charter in Philadelphia — a short drive over state lines to Wagner’s New Jersey-based high school, Camden.

As for the rest of the ’23 class, there’s only one other potential prospect to keep an eye on for a possible visit. Five-star forward Ron Holland is being recruited by the likes of Kentucky, Arkansas, and Texas. He’s coming off a fresh visit to the Longhorns, attending the football team’s 52-10 win against UL Monroe over the weekend.

Holland told Gerry Hamilton of Inside Texas following his visit to Texas that he’s now done with visits. Coaches can still go see him, though. The Longhorns and Razorbacks appear to be the two leaders right now, with Calipari and the ‘Cats seen as the dark horse.

2024 recruits on Kentucky’s radar

Along with the 2023 prospects, Kentucky can also take a closer look at the high school junior class of 2024. Below is a list of the ’24 prospects that KSR has learned the coaching staff is interested in and will likely pursue more over the next several months.

*All player rankings are courtesy of the On3 Consensus.*

Tre Johnson (SG) 6-5, 180 | Lake Highlands (Dallas, TX) Offered by Kentucky
5-star: No. 1 overall, No. 1 SG

• One of the staff’s top ’24 targets is Tre Johnson, who hails from the Texas area and has ties to Kentucky assistant coach KT Turner. Johnson is an elite-level shooter with excellent size at 6-foot-5. He can knock down tough shots from all areas of the floor, even several feet behind the 3-point arc.

Ian Jackson (SG) 6-5, 180 | Cardinal Hayes (Bronx, NY) Offered by Kentucky
5-star: No. 2 overall, No. 2 SG

• Along with Johnson, Ian Jackson is right up at the top on Kentucky’s Big Board. Jackson is a smooth operator with the ball in his hands who can get to the rim with ease and shoot from multiple levels. There have long been rumblings of a possible reclassification to 2023 for Jackson, although nothing is set in stone right now. KSR’s Jack Pilgrim reported Friday morning that UK will visit Jackson this week.

Naasir Cunningham (SF) 6-7, 180 | Overtime Elite (West Orange, NJ)
5-star: No. 4 overall, No. 1 SF

• It’s been tough to tell where Kentucky has stood with top-five Naasir Cunningham, but it would appear the coaching staff is still keeping tabs on the Overtime Elite product. Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog reports that the ‘Cats will make a trip to Overtime Elite Academy on Tuesday. Cunningham holds plenty of major offers, including ones from Kansas, Texas, Auburn, Duke, UCLA, and many more.

Airious “Ace” Bailey (PF) 6-7, 170 | McEachern (Powder Springs, GA)
5-star: No. 7 overall, No. 1 PF

• Airious “Ace” Bailey is a name that first popped up on the radar once Kentucky reached out to him earlier this summer. The staff likes his intangibles and will continue to watch him closely. Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl is expected to visit Bailey on Friday.

Jayden Williams (PF) 6-8, 195 | Overtime Elite (Chicago, IL)
4-star: No. 9 overall, No. 2 PF

• A brand new name on the Big Board is Jayden Williams, who signed with Overtime Elite in late July. The 6-foot-8 power forward still has his college eligibility intact despite joining Overtime, and Kentucky will be keeping plenty of tabs on him moving forward. Several SEC teams have offered him, including the likes of Tennessee, Missouri, Auburn, and Florida.

Johnuel “Boogie” Fland (PG) 6-3, 165 | Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, NY) Offered by Kentucky
4-star: No. 11 overall, No. 2 PG

• Arguably the top point guard in the class, Johnuel “Boogie” Fland has already announced an offer from the Wildcats. He won a gold medal with the U17 USA men’s basketball program as a 15-year-old and was one of the top players on the Nike U16 circuit over the summer. UConn, Seton Hall, Rutgers, and Villanova are also highly interested in Fland.

Karter Knox (SF) 6-5, 180 | Tampa Catholic (Tampa, FL) Offered by Kentucky
4-star: No. 13 overall, No. 4 SF

• The younger brother of former ‘Cat Kevin Knox, Karter Knox is already hearing plenty from the Kentucky staff. He announced a public offer from UK months ago, suited up for Team USA, and went on to perform well at the Nike Peach Jam Invitational. LSU, Louisville, and Central Florida are also involved in his recruitment.

Dylan Harper (CG) 6-5, 180 | Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, NJ)
4-star: No. 16 overall, No. 1 CG

• Dylan Harper was a popular name at this summer’s Nike Peach Jam Invitational, performing well in front of Calipari. Pro Insight’s Andrew Slater reports that Kentucky will soon be in to see Harper for an open gym, along with the likes of Duke (which has offered), UCLA, Michigan, Kansas, and Indiana. Harper is the son of five-time NBA champion Ron Harper and the younger brother of Ron Harper Jr., who is now with the NBA’s G League.

John Bol (C) 7-2, 190 | Sunrise Christian (St. Louis, MO)
4-star: No. 18 overall, No. 3 C

• 7-foot-2 big man John Bol has attracted the eyes of the Kentucky staff, but he’ll need to take his game to the next level to earn an offer from the ‘Cats. That being said, he’s fully on the radar. Michigan is his first official visit while the likes of Texas, Texas Tech, Notre Dame, Missouri, and Illinois have all extended scholarships.

Asa Newell (PF) 6-8, 200 | Montverde Academy (Fort Walton Beach, FL)
4-star: No. 21 overall, No. 4 PF

• Following a big summer, Asa Newell has caught the attention of the Kentucky staff. He helped lead the Team USA U17 squad to a gold medal. The lefty is another prospect hearing from plenty of SEC programs, including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Arkansas.

Somto Cyril (C) 6-11, 250 | Hamilton Heights Christian Academy (Chattanooga, TN)
4-star: No. 28 overall, No. 4 C

• Similar to Bol, Somto Cyril needs to show more on the floor before Kentucky invests additional time in him, but he’s caught the staff’s attention. He’s arguably the most college-ready prospect in the class, checking in at 6-foot-11, 250 pounds. In-state Tennessee, along with Texas, Marquette, Michigan, and South Carolina are after him. However, Cyril did recently call Kentucky his “dream school”.

Tahaad Pettiford (PG) 6-0, 160 | Hudson Catholic (Jersey City, NJ) Offered by Kentucky
4-star: No. 29 overall, No. 5 PG

• A New Jersey prospect who could get a visit from Kentucky sooner rather than later, Tahaad Pettiford earned an offer from UK in July. Auburn and UCLA are also hot on his trail, with Seton Hall and UConn lingering.