Kentucky continues to recruit a pair of 5-star 2026 prospects

by:Zack Geoghegan•about 18 hours•

ZGeogheganKSR

Caleb Holt (left) and Tajh Ariza - Jamie Shaw, On3

Mark Pope and his staff are looking to put the finishing touches on Kentucky’s 2025 recruiting class, but they’re still putting plenty of emphasis on the 2026 cycle.

Two names that continue to pop up in connection with the Wildcats are a pair of five-star talents: 6-foot-5 guard Caleb Holt and 6-foot-8 wing Tajh Ariza. According to On3’s Joe Tipton, both of the Top 10 recruits have been hearing consistently from Kentucky.

We’ll start with Holt, who checks in with a No. 4 ranking in the class of 2026. Assistant coach Jason Hart has been talking with the native of Alabama “a lot, like every week”. Hart is in regular communication with Holt and Holt’s father, and has made multiple trips to see Holt play since the fall. Additionally, Pope recently came to visit Holt at his school, Grayson High (Loganville, GA), and the two have also spoken over a Zoom call.

Holt has yet to visit Kentucky though. He received his offer from the Wildcats back in July 2024. Holt has been on several visits already: Auburn five times, Alabama three, Georgia and Georgia Tech twice, and Ole Miss, Houston, and Tennessee each once. Getting him to Lexington soon will be important.

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As for Ariza, the son of former 18-year NBA veteran Trevor Ariza, he’s also been visited recently by Kentucky staff members. Once again, Hart is the one in contact while Pope is also in the mix. With Ariza hailing from California, Hart’s West Coast connections come into play. Alabama, Arkansas, Kansas, Michigan, Nebraska, Oregon, Southern California, and Washington have all made trips to see Ariza in person. USC’s Eric Musselman was the lone head coach to visit though and the Trojans are the only school he’s visited so far.

But Kentucky, which offered him in Sept. 2024, is very much in the mix. Ariza, ranked No. 8 in the class of 2026, previously told On3 UK coaches are “wanting me to get on campus soon.” However, a visit has yet to be scheduled.

UK has yet to land a 2026 commit, but there are plenty of talented prospects on the radar, including Bluegrass native Tay Kinney. 10 different players from this cycle, all ranked among the Top 20 nationally, have publicly announced offers from the Wildcats.