Top 20 recruit Aaron Bradshaw has arrived in Kentucky for official visit

Arguably the top defensive player in the 2023 class has arrived at Kentucky.

Aaron Bradshaw, a four-star center considered the No. 16 overall recruit in the nation per the On3 Consensus, will be in Lexington throughout the weekend, touching down in the Bluegrass State on Friday. Clocking in at 7-foot-1, 210 pounds, the Camden (NJ) product has thoroughly impressed with his on-court play during the spring and has since become one of the hotter names available.

Bradshaw, who is high school and AAU teammates with fellow Wildcat target DJ Wagner, earned an offer from Kentucky in April.

Bradshaw was named the Defensive MVP and a first-team performer during the third Nike EYBL session of the year in Louisville just a couple of weeks ago. Through 13 games for the New Jersey Scholars this spring, he averaged 13.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.0 blocks, and 1.0 steals per outing while shooting 60.3 percent from the floor and 81.8 percent from the free-throw line. Bradshaw is down to the likes of UK, Louisville, Maryland, Michigan, Oklahoma State, UCLA, and the NBA’s G League Ignite.

He’s taken just one official visit so far, which was to Oklahoma State back in November. A trip to Kentucky this weekend will be his second, replacing Maryland, which was originally expected to receive an OV over the next few days. Bradshaw told On3 in May that UCLA and Maryland will eventually get official visits from him.

Bradshaw has long held offers from the likes of LSU, Oklahoma State, UCLA, Kansas State, DePaul, and plenty of other Divison I schools. But an opportunity to play at Kentucky hit him differently than the rest.

“I ain’t gonna lie, I started crying because when you work for something and you actually get it, it’s a surreal feeling,’ Bradshaw told On3’s Joe Tipton in April in regards to earning an offer from the ‘Cats.

Kentucky currently has just one commitment for the 2023 class with in-state four-star guard Reed Sheppard.