The Kentucky basketball staff has been hot on the recruiting trail this spring and summer, getting a look at current and new targets on their recruiting list. Recently, the direct contact period for 2027 recruits opened, which allows coaches to directly contact recruits instead of having to go through a guardian. The list of targets has continued to grow, with some recruits more prioritized than others so far.

Kentucky has extended offers to three recruits in the 2027 class so far, those being Baba Oladotun, CJ Rosser and Obinna Ekezie Jr. Oladotun was actually the first offer the Kentucky staff made in class, offering the #1 player in the class back in September. Ekezie Jr. was also an early offer in the class, as the Wildcats offered him soon after Oladotun in September. The staff just recently began ramping up the interest with Rosser, offering him on May 20. The Kentucky staff surely liked what they see from the top 3 prospect, who has been killing it through three sessions on the Nike EYBL circuit.

Since the contact period, Kentucky has also made other players priorities as well, including Ryan Hampton, a top 5 player in the class, who the staff has been recruiting for months. The staff is also making Marcus Spears Jr. a priority, who could be on offer watch soon, as the staff recently went to see him in April before contacting him directly recently very soon after the contact period began. The staff has introduced some new targets as well on the list, including King Gibson, Bruce Branch, TJ Jamison, Lincoln Cosby, Darius Washington, Dawson Battie, Dooney Johnson, Martay Barnes and Beckham Black, all of which are ranked among the top 30 players in the class.

The list is continuing to grow, nearly by the day at this point. It will be interesting to see who Kentucky continues to prioritize in the 2027 class because there is a lot of talent, and the staff seems to be in contact with many of the top players. Mark Pope and the Kentucky staff’s recruiting efforts have certainly been impressive.