Kentucky trending as the favorite to land 4-star '24 C Somto Cyril

Somto Cyril began his official visit to Kentucky on Thursday. It must be going quite well for the 6-foot-10 center, as he’s already picked up a prediction to end up with the Wildcats.

On Friday afternoon, 247Sports’ Travis Branham logged a Crystal Ball pick in favor of Cyril committing to Kentucky. Considered a four-star prospect and top 40 recruit from the class of 2024 per the On3 Industry Ranking, Cyril is considered a likely reclass candidate for 2023 and will be immediately eligible to enroll in college.

Branham, who holds an all-time accuracy rate of 93.58 percent with his Crystal Ball picks, included a high confidence score of “7” in his prediction.

KSR’s Jack Pilgrim was the first to report that Cyril would officially visit Kentucky on Thursday, a trip that will continue through Saturday. There have already been a handful of pictures popping up across social media of the big man enjoying his time in Lexington.

I have placed my Crystal Ball for Somto Cyril, the No. 45 overall prospect in the 2024 class.

Currently on campus at Kentucky for his official visit. https://t.co/RvwVZTUub3

— Travis Branham (@TravisBranham_) June 9, 2023

A native of Nigeria, Cyril was teammates on Overtime Elite’s Cold Hearts with Kentucky freshman guard Robert Dillingham, who arrived on campus earlier this month. Rumblings of a potential reclass have been swirling around Cyril for weeks now, with Dillingham even pitching the idea during an Instagram Live on May 22 where he encouraged Cyril to choose the ‘Cats.

“Why don’t you just class up (to 2023) and come to Kentucky?” Dillingham questioned. “That would be a great move. We didn’t get Hunter Dickinson to come to Kentucky.”

“Tell (John Calipari) to hit me up,” Cyril responded. “Tell him to hit me up.”

Cyril, who boasts a 7-foot-5 wingspan and is believed by many to be physically ready enough to play at the college level right now, has been hearing from the Kentucky coaching staff throughout his recruitment, dating back to June 2022.

During the 2022-23 season with OTE, Cyril averaged 8.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 3.4 blocks per outing while shooting over 66 percent from the floor.

Calipari could have as many as eight freshmen on the roster for next season. Kentucky is also trending as the favorite to land a pair of 2023 three-star recruits in SF Jordan Burks (also from OTE) and Indiana SG Joey Hart. Burks was in Lexington earlier this week for an official visit and expects to make his decision on Monday after delaying his announcement this past Wednesday. Meanwhile, Hart is expected to visit UK beginning on Saturday, according to The Athletic’s Kyle Tucker, with a decision likely coming in the near future.

Along with Dillingham, Kentucky also has freshmen DJ Wagner, Justin Edwards, Aaron Bradshaw, and Reed Sheppard in the fold for this coming season, which equates to the top-ranked 2023 recruiting class in the nation. More rookies could be on the way in the very near future.