Kentucky extends offer to 2023 five-star wing JJ Taylor

Kentucky has extended its first offer since direct contact with recruits in the class of 2023 opened at midnight, with five-star wing JJ Taylor earning a scholarship from the UK coaching staff Tuesday afternoon.

The 6-foot-7 wing confirmed the offer with KSR’s own Zack Geoghegan after speaking with Kentucky today.

2023 five-star forward JJ Taylor (@jjtaylorXXlll) tells KSR he has received an offer from Kentucky.

No. 8 overall in 2023

— Zack Geoghegan (@ZGeogheganKSR) June 15, 2021

Last week at the Pangos All-American Camp in Las Vegas, Taylor told KSR he was looking forward to talking with the Kentucky coaches and hoped to receive an offer from the program in the near future.

“[I’m] hoping that Kentucky can come out and watch me in the summer league to get some looks at me so I can get that offer,” Taylor told KSR. “I’m looking forward to getting that offer but as of now, they’re just recruiting.”

Instead, the five-star forward only had to wait a week before UK pulled the trigger.

“They love big guards,” Taylor added. “That’s really the top school for people like me to go to. That’s why I like it. They like working with people like me.”

Taylor previously told KSR he “definitely” wanted to take a visit to Kentucky, but preferred to take the trip with an offer in-hand. After averaging 15.6 points on 70.3 percent overall shooting (19-27) and 50 percent (5-10) from beyond the arc at arguably the most prestigious non-shoe circuit recruiting event of the summer, the rising junior now has one.

Kentucky assistant coach Chin Coleman, known as one of the top recruiters of the Chicago area in all of college basketball, is the lead recruiter for the Kenwood Academy (Chicago) standout.

The major Kentucky target, who also holds offers from Florida, Gonzaga, Illinois, LSU, Nebraska and Texas, is considered a consensus top-ten prospect in the class of 2023 and is ranked as high as No. 6 overall in ESPN’s latest player rankings.

Come on down.