Kentucky hosting pair of 5-star recruits for official visits this weekend

When Caleb Wilson made his official visit to Kentucky earlier this month, he left Lexington with the Big Blue Nation feeling rather optimistic about landing the five-star power forward. This weekend, the Wildcats will once again roll out the red carpet for not one, but two more five-star recruits.

6-foot-10 power forward Chris Cenac and 6-foot-3 point guard Mikel Brown Jr. will both officially visit Kentucky this weekend, arriving on Friday and staying throughout the weekend before heading back home on Sunday. Cenac is No. 7 overall in the 2025 class by the On3 Industry Ranking while Brown checks in at No. 11.

Kentucky and new head coach Mark Pope have already landed two 2025 commits with five-star shooting guard Jasper Johnson and four-star center Malachi Moreno. The Wildcats currently have the nation’s top-ranked recruiting class.

Starting with Cenac, the Louisiana native received an offer from Pope and his staff in June. Now at Link Academy (MO), he was a standout over the summer on the Puma PRO16/NXT Circuit. Kentucky quickly gained ground in his recruitment, cracking his Top 12 in early August. The likes of Arkansas, Alabama, Auburn, Baylor, Houston, Louisville, LSU, Michigan State, Tennessee, Texas, and UConn also made the cut.

At this stage, LSU is the perceived leader in landing Cenac’s commitment. The Tigers currently have the last official visit on his schedule, which is set for November. He’s already made stops at Houston, Tennessee, and most recently Auburn. Cenac also has plans to OV at Arkansas in October. He’s expected to make a decision during the late signing period, although he’s stated that could change depending on where his head is at following his official visit slate. More visits could be scheduled.

Kentucky’s recruitment of Caleb Wilson could play a role in how Cenac views the Wildcats, but it’s clear he’s a top target regardless. It’s highly unlikely Kentucky lands both. Pope went to visit Cenac earlier this month at Link Academy. He’ll make a grand pitch to Cenac for the ‘Cats this weekend.

Moving onto Brown, the Florida native will first take an unofficial visit to Louisville — which begins today — before making his way to Kentucky for an official this weekend. Pope and his staff offered Brown in June (on the same day the Cardinals did). Along with UK and UL, visits to Maryland, Central Florida, and Arizona are on the docket for the fall. Brown has already OV’d at Alabama, Ole Miss, Indiana, and Providence.

Kentucky coaches watched Brown play several times during the recent live period and assistant coach Jason Hart even popped in to see him last week at his school, DME Academy. Brown previously played for Overtime Elite (GA) but will spend his senior season closer to home in Orlando.

Similar to the situation with Cenac, there could be some potential overlap with Brown’s recruitment. As mentioned, Kentucky already has Johnson on board, but the Wildcats are also trending for four-star point guard Acaden Lewis. That being said, one option at guard did fall off the board when four-star shooting guard Braylon Mullins dropped UK from his list of contenders on Tuesday.

UK would happily take both Brown and Lewis if they were to commit, but it’s more likely that only one ends up as a ‘Cat. Pope will surely spend a good amount of time this weekend talking with Cenac and Brown about how they would fit with the current commits.