North Carolina reportedly gaining momentum for 5-star Kentucky target Caleb Wilson

Kentucky has long been perceived as the favorite to ultimately land five-star forward Caleb Wilson, who is expected to announce his decision sometime this month. But are the tides beginning to shift down the home stretch?

A couple of the recruiting industry’s top plugged-in reporters believe so.

Reports surfaced on Thursday from both On3’s Jamie Shaw and 247Sports’ Travis Branham that not only is North Carolina gaining serious ground on Kentucky in this recruitment, but the Tar Heels are now the current leader. That being said, neither has gone so far as to log a prediction in favor of Wilson choosing UNC over Kentucky. There are still multiple picks logged with the expectation Wilson will commit to the ‘Cats.

But the smoke surrounding North Carolina continues to grow…

INTEL: Has the recruiting momentum shifted for Five-Star Plus+ Caleb Wilson?

READ: https://t.co/3gJlIr0EB5 pic.twitter.com/WPb4W4sh7t

— Jamie Shaw (@JamieShaw5) January 9, 2025

The timing of these reports is certainly interesting. Kentucky has been in the driver’s seat for Wilson dating back to the fall when head coach Mark Pope employed the full-court press on the versatile 6-foot-9 big man. Wilson officially visited UK in September. Pope returned the favor with an in-person visit a month later. But North Carolina was never completely ruled out of the running.

Wilson is still technically down to five finalists. Including UNC and Kentucky, he’s also considering Ohio State, Central Florida, and Tennessee. That being said, the Tar Heels and Wildcats have always been mentioned consistently. I’ll also point out that On3’s Joe Tipton reported on Wednesday he was still leaning toward Wilson choosing UK. We’re entering “toss-up” territory as an announcement is expected within the next three weeks.

Pope bringing Wilson to Kentucky would undoubtedly be his biggest recruiting win yet as a head coach. Wilson is a five-star talent ranked No. 5 in the 2025 cycle. He would join a class that already includes five-star Jasper Johnson along with four-stars Malachi Moreno and Acaden Lewis. Whether or not Wilson follows them to Lexington should be known by the end of the month.

Buckle up, BBN.