VJ Edgecombe Picks Baylor over Duke, Kentucky

One of the most talented basketball players in America will not be attending Kentucky, but it’s not all bad news for the Big Blue Nation. VJ Edgecombe announced his college commitment Sunday night. The talented guard spurned a couple of blue bloods to play college basketball for Scott Drew at Baylor.

You hate to see a talent like Edgecombe elsewhere. However, you’d really hate to see him at Duke. Fortunately, that will not be the case.

Edgecombe is a five-star combo guard ranked as the No. 5 overall player in the 2024 recruiting class, according to the On3 Industry Ranking. He kept his recruitment quiet, but it did feature some noteworthy ebbs and flows. John Calipari and Co. appeared out of the race for his services, then made a late push to seemingly surge ahead of the rest of the pack. Despite the big move, it was not enough to bring another five-star talent to Lexington.

Kentucky missed on the No. 5 player in the class, but they do already have a signature from the fourth-ranked prospect. Jayden Quaintance, a 6-foot-10 center, headlines Kentucky’s second-ranked recruiting class. The other signees — C Somto Cyril, SF Billy Richmond, PG Boogie Fland and SG Travis Perry — are all four-star talents.

Where does Kentucky go without Edgecombe in the picture? Jack Pilgrim is discussing it on Sources Say, but there’s one familiar, notable name you should continue to closely follow. Karter Knox is a couple inches taller than Edgecombe and is more of a wing than a guard, but the younger brother of former Wildcat Kevin Knox is a high-flying prospect with pedigree that can inject more star power into the class. He took a trip to see Kenny Payne at Louisville in December. Knox is expected to be in Lexington this weekend for his official visit to Kentucky.

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