Kentucky
Could Monday be the day for Tyran Stokes?
Is it time for No. 1 recruit Tyran Stokes to make his final decision? Goodness, we all hope so. The restlessness is very real for Big Blue Nation, but we could be just a couple of days away from clarity — if Jeff Goodman’s source is correct, at least.
With rumors and rumblings all over the place when it comes to the top-ranked prospect originally from Louisville, Goodman is hearing that a commitment could happen to begin the week on Monday. But, like the rest of us, he’s skeptical until it comes straight from the horse’s mouth.
Only Tyran Stokes knows what Tyran Stokes is gonna do, but, the latest word is Monday. Apparently.
“I was told by one source close to the situation that Tyran Stokes, the No. 1 player in the country, could announce his decision on Monday,” Goodman wrote. “I’ll believe it when I see it.”
Agreed.
Maybe the biggest takeaway from his report, though? No mention of Oregon, despite the Ducks’ rumored push in recent weeks — especially since Jasper Johnson’s move to Eugene and individual fight to bring the fellow in-state talent with him.
Goodman believes it’s a head-to-head battle between the Jayhawks and Wildcats.
“Stokes choosing between Kansas and Kentucky,” he said.
Interesting.
KSR was the first to report that Mark Pope has recruited Jamal Crawford — Stokes’ assistant coach at Rainier Beach HS in Seattle and a three-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year — to join his staff in Lexington. That comes after Pope already signed Stokes’ former Prolific Prep teammate Zoom Diallo out of the transfer portal, coming in from Washington. The Wildcats’ pursuit has been relentless, regardless of speculation about the No. 1 recruit’s personal connection to Bill Self and the Jayhawks.
He talked about his recruiting process this week on a TikTok live, talking with a Kentucky fan.
“Yoooo, see, you guys are crazy,” Stokes said. “It’s been very, you know. Bro, the process is very up and down. Sometimes it can be fun, sometimes it can be annoying. It just depends on where you’re at with the process.”
“Let me put it in a way, like this,” Stokes continued. “How do I put it for a regular person to know what I’m going through? Someone offers you a job worth a lot of money, and you don’t know what there is to come with that job. You’re just like, here, there’s this paycheck. But you have to be committed to the job for ten months, and you don’t know what you’re getting yourself into. Do you take it? Do you feel me? So you have to play out the process and see how everything falls out.”
When asked about a timeline for his decision, Stokes was quick to shut down the conversation and move on. Hopefully this recent update indicates there is light at the end of this long tunnel — whether it’s Monday or shortly after.
The spot is yours, Tyran. Come take it.