Kentucky losing ground with 4-star SF Tounde Yessoufou

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Tounde Yessoufou has been considered a top recruiting target for Kentucky men’s basketball head coach Mark Pope. But going into the fall, the Wildcats have some serious ground to gain if they want to wiggle back into the mix.

According to On3’s Joe Tipton, Arizona State and Baylor are the two schools leading the way for Yessoufou, who is ranked No. 15 overall in the 2025 class by the On3 Industry Ranking. Kentucky isn’t all the way out of the race, but the 6-foot-5 wing is beginning to cancel upcoming visits. His official visit to UK set for Big Blue Madness next month is still on the schedule, but there’s a chance he will commit elsewhere before then.

[UPDATE (1:02 p.m. EST) Tipton reports that Yessoufou has CANCELED his official visits with Kentucky, Kansas, and UConn.]

Yessoufou trimmed his list to six schools earlier this month. He’s technically down to Arizona State, Baylor, Kentucky, Kansas, UConn, and Southern California, but as we head down the home stretch of this process, the Sun Devils and Bears are standing out above the rest.

Two schools are separating themselves from the pack for Top-15 recruit Tounde Yessoufou, sources say.

An upcoming visit has been cancelled and a decision is nearing.

Read (On3+): https://t.co/oepxn6Ohzt pic.twitter.com/nmN3YsQ93P
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) September 16, 2024

There was a point not long ago when Kentucky and Baylor were considered the frontrunners. Yessoufou has even referred to the Wildcats as his “dream school”. But Arizona State — where Yessoufou officially visited two weekends ago — has made a significant push in recent weeks. He also officially visited Baylor the weekend prior to his Arizona State trip.

Yessoufou has been a clear target for Kentucky since the spring. Unfortunately, it does not sound like he’ll be playing college ball in Lexington — not right now, at least.

While that certainly isn’t good news for the Big Blue Nation, it’s not a massive cause for concern. We can’t forget that Pope has already landed a pair of Top 30 commits in SG Jasper Johnson (No. 12) and C Malachi Moreno (No. 27), both of whom were born and raised in the Bluegrass. Additionally, by all accounts, the UK coaching staff knocked it out of the park the last few days for Caleb Wilson‘s official visit. Wilson is a five-star power forward ranked No. 4 overall.

Pope also has Kentucky in the mix for PG Acaden Lewis, PG Mikel Brown, SG Braylon Mullins, SF Nate Ament, and PF Chris Cenac, among others. Missing out on Yessoufou will sting, but there are plenty of options out there for Kentucky to pivot to.