Kentucky remains in the mix for 5-star SF Nate Ament

Kentucky’s top recruiting priority is still to land Caleb Wilson, but the Wildcats remain in the race for another five-star high school talent.

According to On3, 6-foot-9 small forward Nate Ament has included Kentucky in his list of 11 college finalists. Ranked No. 4 overall in the class of 2025 by the On3 Industry Ranking, Ament is the highest-ranked prospect yet to commit. The native of Virginia is also considering Arkansas, BYU, Duke, Georgetown, Kansas State, Louisville, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Alabama, and Texas.

Kentucky has yet to host Ament for an official visit, but he told On3’s Jamie Shaw in late December that he’s in talks with the Wildcats about setting up a date to see Lexington.

NEWS: 5⭐️ Nate Ament, the top available prospect in the 2025 class, is down to 11 schools, source tells @On3Recruits.

The 6-9 Small Forward is the No. 3 overall player in the country, per On3.

Story from @JamieShaw5: https://t.co/MoAQs65TIl pic.twitter.com/aufUvL0P9D

— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) January 15, 2025

Ament has official visits scheduled for Duke (Jan. 31) and Kansas State (Feb. 10). So far, he’s been to Notre Dame, Tennessee, Texas, and Louisville for officials. He’s already visited Duke once for an unofficial. The expectation is that he’ll go on his remaining visits and announce a decision in “late-February, early-March timeframe.”

That timeline isn’t long after Wilson is expected to make his own college decision, which could happen as soon as this month. Kentucky and North Carolina continue to go back and forth as the leader for the five-star power forward. But even if Wilson commits to the ‘Cats, it wouldn’t completely deter Ament from joining the fold, as well.

“Not with Caleb, at all. That guy is a winner,” Ament told On3 when asked if Wilson committing to UK would impact his decision. “He’s won at every level he’s been at. I feel like with me playing with someone like Caleb Wilson, would benefit us both, growing together as freshmen.”

No matter what happens with Wilson, we’ll know just how serious Kentucky is with Ament if/when a visit is scheduled. Until then, his overall recruitment remains a bit of a mystery.