Kentucky remains in hot pursuit of 5-star wing Nate Ament
Mark Pope has landed a pair of Top 25 in-state recruits over the last few weeks. Now it’s time to go land a big fish outside of the Bluegrass. Could he end up reeling in Nate Ament?
Kentucky has been in hot pursuit of Ament, a 6-foot-9 wing ranked No. 6 overall in the 2025 On3 Industry Ranking, ever since taking over in Lexington back in the spring. Pope and assistant coach Cody Fueger even recruited Ament when they were coaching at BYU. He was officially offered by the Wildcats in June and is set to visit Lexington at some point this fall.
“We were supposed to have a visit with them, but it got canceled unfortunately. I am going to schedule another one with them here soon,” Ament recently told On3’s Jamie Shaw. “Coach Pope is a really passionate guy. He talks basketball a lot. His message to me is to keep shooting and keep being the player I want to be and Kentucky is one of those places I can go and shine as the player I am.”
Ament added that Pope was among the group of college head coaches who visited him at his school last week.
Kentucky currently has a guard (Jasper Johnson) and center (Malachi Moreno) locked in for the 2025-26 season. Adding a piece on the wing will be the next step. Ament easily fits that bill as a long and high-level scoring prospect. He had a massive summer, producing at every stop he made: adidas 3SSB, USA Basketball, Nike Skills Academy, UA Elite 24, etc.
As a five-star talent, Kentucky is hardly the only big-time school after his services. The likes of Kansas State, Georgetown, Notre Dame, Louisville, Virginia, Duke, and Kansas all had coaches visit him at his school last week. So far, he’s taken a trio of unofficial to Virginia, Duke, and Georgetown. Ament will begin his official visit tour at the end of this month.
Notably, Ament has been consistent in stating he is in no rush to make a decision. He confirmed that once again with Shaw: “the plan is to sign during the Late Signing Period and take my time with it.” That’s good news for Kentucky. Ament wants to see the on-court product — especially with a handful of head coaches recruiting him at new schools — before making a decision.
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