Cason Wallace is Kentucky’s top-ranked recruit for the incoming class of 2022.
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Charles Rex Arbogast
AP
The basketball recruiting rankings for the category of 2022 have been finalized, and the Kentucky Wildcats are fairly a bit additional down the listing than regular.
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UK holds the No. 10 total spot within the last Recruiting Providers Consensus Index rankings for the 2022 cycle. The RSCI, which has been round since 1998, yearly compiles the nation’s prime recruiting courses. The web site takes participant rankings from a number of main companies and calculates a composite rating for each prime prospect, utilizing a easy components to rank the nation’s prime courses. As soon as the RSCI participant rankings are calculated, the nation’s No. 1 recruit is value 100 factors, with the No. 2 recruit at 99 factors, and so forth.
Jeff Crume, who runs the RSCI website, used 2022 rankings from 247Sports, Rivals.com, ESPN, On3.com and longtime nationwide analyst Van Coleman this yr. Crume famous to the Herald-Chief that that is the primary time Kentucky has ended up outdoors of the highest 5 nationally since John Calipari arrived as this system’s head coach with the 2009 class.
The character wherein the rankings are constructed — together with another variables — led to the comparatively low rating.
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Kentucky’s class has simply two prime 100 signees, a significant change from previous years. These two are Cason Wallace, the No. 8 participant within the RSCI rankings, and Chris Livingston, who’s No. 13 on the listing. Late addition Adou Thiero shouldn’t be ranked within the prime 100 nationally.
Livingston was ranked as excessive as No. 10 total (by Rivals) and as little as twenty fourth (by On3), with 4 of the 5 recruiting companies utilized by RSCI placing him within the prime 15.
Wallace had a few main outliers. He’s ranked No. 4 by On3.com, No. 5 by 247Sports, and No. 7 by Rivals, however Coleman put him at No. 18 total and ESPN has him at No. 20 nationally.
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Clearly, each are extremely ranked within the grand scheme of issues, however having simply two prime 100 signees hurts Kentucky’s total standing on the RSCI listing. All 9 of the groups forward of the Wildcats in these rankings have a minimum of three prime 100 recruits, with six of these groups having 4 or extra such gamers.
The Shaedon Sharpe saga additionally carried over to the nationwide recruiting rankings. If Sharpe — previously the No. 1 prospect within the 2022 class — had stayed with that group and never enrolled early at Kentucky, his presence within the rankings would have bumped UK as much as No. 4 nationally, only a few factors behind defending nationwide champion Kansas.
Sharpe introduced final week that he would preserve his identify within the 2022 NBA Draft, leaving Kentucky with out enjoying a sport for the Wildcats. So, clearly, his impact on the ultimate recruiting rankings are the least of UK’s considerations there.
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Kentucky additionally misplaced a dedication from Skyy Clark, who’s No. 32 on the ultimate RSCI listing, late within the 2022 cycle. (Clark has since dedicated to Illinois). If he had stayed with UK’s class, the Cats would have been No. 5 within the last staff rankings. If Clark and Sharpe had each stayed with UK for the 2022 class, Kentucky would have been No. 2 nationally.
The Wildcats’ class was ranked No. 1 within the nation in every of Calipari’s first 5 recruiting cycles at Kentucky, and their group was both No. 1 or No. 2 yearly beneath Calipari till 2021. Final yr, UK’s class was ranked No. 5 total, a drop from the norm that coincided with a bigger reliance on the switch portal. The Cats’ highschool recruits weren’t as extremely touted, however they did herald Oscar Tshiebwe, Sahvir Wheeler, Kellan Grady and CJ Fredrick as transfers.
This yr, UK has added only one switch — former Illinois State guard Antonio Reeves — however the Cats have 5 returning contributors from final season’s staff, plus Fredrick, who was pressured to overlook the 2021-22 marketing campaign resulting from harm.
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Duke tops the rankings
A well-known identify is again on prime of the RSCI rankings.
The Duke Blue Devils will enter their first season beneath new head coach Jon Scheyer with the No. 1 total recruiting class, thanks largely to commitments from three top-five gamers: Dariq Whitehead (No. 1), Derek Energetic (No. 2) and Kyle Filipowski (No. 4). The Blue Devils even have No. 22-ranked Mark Mitchell and No. 61-ranked Jaden Schutt. (Duke may even welcome late reclassification Tyrese Proctor, who could be one of many prime 25 prospects within the 2022 class however joined the group too late to be added to many of the nationwide rankings).
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Within the 14 recruiting cycles that John Calipari has been at Kentucky, the Wildcats have had the No. 1 class within the last RSCI rankings eight instances, whereas Duke has achieved the feat 4 instances. Gonzaga (2021) and Memphis (2019) landed the No. 1 class the opposite two years.
Duke can be trying like an early favourite for the highest class within the 2023 cycle. The Blue Devils have already got commitments from Mackenzie Mgbako — the No. 3 total participant within the rising senior class — in addition to top-25 nationwide recruits Sean Stewart (No. 11), Caleb Foster (No. 16) and Jared McCain (No. 24).
Who’s No. 1 in 2022?
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There’s not a lot settlement on the No. 1 participant rating for the 2022 class.
4 totally different excessive schoolers are ranked No. 1 throughout the 5 nationwide lists that the RSCI used to type its consensus. Three of these prospects will play for Duke within the 2022-23 season.
Rivals.com ranks Dariq Whitehead because the No. 1 total participant, whereas On3.com places Kyle Filipowski in that spot, with each ESPN and Van Coleman rating Dereck Energetic on the prime. Arkansas signee Nick Smith Jr. is the No. 1 prospect within the 247Sports rankings. Whitehead is the one participant within the class with a top-five rating from all 5 nationwide recruiting companies.
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This class marks the primary time since 1999 that 4 totally different gamers have acquired the No. 1 rating from a minimum of one of many main recruiting companies. In that yr, seven totally different recruiting websites have been used to compile the RSCI rating, and Donnell Harvey, Keith Bogans, LaVell Blanchard and DerMarr Johnson all landed a No. 1 rating from a minimum of certainly one of them.
Bogans, after all, ended up as certainly one of Kentucky’s all-time main scorers. He was the No. 2 total participant within the RSCI rankings that yr. Harvey, who performed one season at Florida, was No. 1. Duke recruit Jason Williams was No. 3 total.
This 2022 class was damage on the prime by the reclassification of Emoni Bates, Jalen Duren, Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe, any of whom might need been ranked No. 1 nationally in the event that they’d determined to remain on this group.
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Arkansas is ranked No. 2
With Duke holding a commanding declare to the No. 1 spot within the 2022 cycle, it’s Arkansas that is available in at No. 2 nationally, one more recruiting coup for Razorbacks Coach Eric Musselman.
That is the primary time since 2011 that Arkansas has landed within the prime 10 within the last RSCI rankings and the primary time the Hogs have ever been within the prime 5 within the RSCI, which dates again to 1998.
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Musselman, who has been one of many masters of the switch portal in recent times, will herald No. 3-ranked Nick Smith Jr., together with McDonald’s All-Individuals Anthony Black (No. 14), Jordan Walsh (No. 17), prime 100 recruit Derrian Ford, and two different highschool gamers.
Alabama was No. 4 on the ultimate RSCI listing, bolstered by a category that options 4 prime 100 gamers and two five-star recruits — Jaden Bradley and Brandon Miller — who as soon as held Kentucky affords.
Kentucky is the one different Southeastern Convention college within the last rankings.
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The whole prime 10, so as: Duke, Arkansas, Kansas, Alabama, UCLA, Southern Cal, Texas, Ohio State, Virginia and Kentucky.
Ben Roberts covers UK basketball, soccer, horse racing and different sports activities for the Lexington Herald-Chief and has specialised in UK basketball recruiting for the previous a number of years. He additionally maintains the Subsequent Cats recruiting weblog, which options the most recent information on the Wildcats’ recruiting efforts.
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LEXINGTON, Ky. (WYMT) – Kentucky football continues to add to an impressive 2025 recruiting class. Jermiel Atkins, a 3-star offensive tackle, verbally committed to the Wildcats on Thursday.
Atkins announced his verbal commitment on his personal Instagram.
The Dayton, Ohio native listed as 6 foot 8 inches, 290 pounds chose Kentucky over offers from Virginia Tech, Arizona State, Eastern Kentucky, and others.
Atkins’ verbal commitment comes one day after the Wildcats added 4-star defensive lineman, Kalen Edwards.
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Kentucky football’s 2025 recruiting class now ranks 16th in the nation and 8th in the Southeastern Conference, according to 247Sports.
Kentucky fans already are excited about players like Andrew Carr, Koby Brea, Jaxson Robinson, Otega Oweh, Lamont Butler, and Amari Williams but one name that isn’t discussed all that much but should is Ansley Almonor.
Last season at Fairleigh Dickinson, Almonor averaged 16.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game. Almonor was the 44th best three-point shooter in all of college basketball last season as he went 93 of 236 for a percentage of 39.4 from deep.
He is only 6’7 but has played center and power forward during his entire college basketball career, so he is used to being undersized at his position.
Almonor will likely come off the bench for Carr, and these two players do a lot of the same things. Almonor is just in a smaller frame than Carr. There is a world where Almonor is the Wildcat’s best player off the bench this season, thanks to his shooting and ability to help on the glass.
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Almonor will come in the game for the Wildcats and immediately become a mismatch for any defender on the floor. If Almonor has a season where he shoots the ball well, passes to open players for shots, and helps on the glass, he will be a massive part of why this team has a solid season and goes on a run in March.
Kentucky Athletics sent out this quote from Coach Pope about Almonor, “Ansley is one of the best shooting mid-major bigs out there, and he is a tremendous mover without the basketball. He’s a fearless competitor with great leadership qualities. Ansley is a finance major who comes from an unbelievable family from Haiti. He’s a great addition to this roster as a veteran presence with a lot of college basketball under his belt.”
The outside of the Sugar Maple Square polling site in Bowling Green, May 21, 2024. (Photo by Austin Anthony, Kentucky Lantern)
By McKenna Horsley Kentucky Lantern
A grassroots advocacy group has filed a lawsuit against Kentucky election officials alleging the state’s process for removing voters from rolls violates federally protected voting rights.
The state’s top election official responded that undoing the law during a presidential election year would “sow chaos and doubt.”
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Kentuckians For The Commonwealth (KFTC) filed the lawsuit last week in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky against Republican Secretary of State Michael Adams and the State Board of Elections, which includes Republican and Democratic members.
Secretary of State Michael Adams (Photo from Kentucky Today)
The complaint alleges that Kentucky’s election law, which was changed in response to the coronavirus pandemic and became permanent in 2021, violates the National Voter Registration Act of 1993. KFTC says the federal act requires registered voters who have moved to receive notice in writing to confirm their address and have time to respond before they are removed from voter rolls. Kentucky’s law “flagrantly violates these requirements,” KFTC argues, by not giving voters notice before removal.
Adams issued a statement Tuesday saying he plans to defend the law in court. The 2021 changes, known as House Bill 574, were signed into law by Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear.
“Kentucky’s elections are a national success story,” Adams said. “Three years ago, Kentucky enacted a bipartisan law to prevent voting in more than one state in a presidential election. Now that a presidential election is underway, a fringe left-wing activist group is trying to undo that law and sow chaos and doubt in our elections. We believe voters should vote in only one state, and we expect to prevail in court.”
In addition to the removal process, the 2021 state law also has provisions for no-excuse in-person early voting and updates to regulations for absentee ballots.
The secretary of state also said that 4,362 individuals had been removed from the voter rolls in June. Of that group, 3,030 were deceased, 603 were convicted of felonies, 554 had moved out of the state, 78 voluntarily deregistered, 52 were duplicate registrations and 45 were adjudged mentally incompetent.
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KFTC is asking the court to permanently enjoin election officials from canceling voter registrations without following provisions required by federal law.
The group’s lawsuit also says it registered more than 2,000 new voters during last year’s governor’s race and plans to “directly register even more prospective voters due to the presidential race.”
KFTC will hire 15 people across the state for this year’s voter registration program, which includes field training and webinars.
Founded in 1981, KFTC’s mission is to “challenge and change unfair political, economic and social systems by working for a new balance of power and a just society.”
Read Kentuckians for the Commonwealth v. Michael Adams
Kentucky Lantern is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kentucky Lantern maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jamie Lucke for questions: info@kentuckylantern.com.
