Kentucky
Top recruiting expert picks Kentucky for Acaden Lewis
It appears the Kentucky Wildcats are closing in on another major basketball commitment in the class of 2025.
With Jasper Johnson and Malachi Moreno already in the fold, Kentucky now has its sights set on 4-star point guard Acaden Lewis. Nearly all of the recent buzz in this recruitment has favored the Wildcats, which continued Monday with a big recruiting prediction.
Over at 247 Sports, Travis Branham logged a Crystal Ball prediction for Kentucky to land Lewis. Branham, as you may know, is one of the top recruiting analysts in the business, if not the best, so this is a very positive development for Mark Pope and Co.
Lewis has wrapped up his official visits and is expected to announce a decision date any day now. The Washington, D.C. product is down to Kentucky, Duke, and UConn. His lead recruiter for the Cats is Jason Hart.
Heading into the fall signing period, Kentucky’s 2025 class is ranked 10th by 247, fifth by Rivals, and second by On3. A commitment from Lewis would likely ensure this class finishes at least in the top 10 as other prospects go off the board to other schools.
Kentucky is also pushing to land a pledge from top-five recruit Caleb Wilson. A commitment from Lewis and Wilson would put the Cats in a position to finish with the top-ranked class in all of the major recruiting services.
Safe to say recruiting big-time high school talent isn’t slowing down now that Pope is running things in Lexington.
Kentucky
Kentucky is poised to land either Donnie Freeman or Sebastian Rancik this weekend, per report
Jones posted on Twitter that “Kentucky will have (absent a major change) either Freeman or Rancik by tomorrow,” while also noting the Wildcats still need to add another shooter and another big to round out the roster.
One of the top targets is Donnie Freeman, a 6-foot-9, 205-pound sophomore forward transferring from Syracuse. Freeman arrived in Lexington on Tuesday night and began his visit on Wednesday before leaving without a commitment. While there was concern he could land at UConn, that visit has since been canceled, leaving Kentucky and St. John’s as the top teams.
Freeman averaged 16.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game last season, while adding nearly a block and a steal per contest. He shot 47.4% from the field but 30.2% from 3-point range across 23 games.
The other option is Sebastian Rancik, a 6-foot-11, 220-pound sophomore forward transferring from Colorado. Rancik visited Kentucky starting Wednesday through Thursday and brings a versatile skill set, averaging 12.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2 assists per game while shooting 33.1% from 3.
Either Freeman or Rancik would provide a significant boost at the power forward position for head coach Mark Pope. Kentucky has already added guards Zoom Diallo and Alex Wilkins in the portal.
Kentucky football coach Will Stein reflects on new position
Will Stein was officially introduced to fans and media as the head coach for the Kentucky Wildcats, replacing Mark Stoops.
LEXINGTON — Kentucky football had its first spring game under new coach Will Stein at Kroger Field on Saturday.
The offense, in blue jerseys, had its moments. So too the defense, donning white uniforms.
Ultimately, the blue squad earned a 23-18 victory in a game called just after noon because of inclement weather.
Stein admitted he “got emotional” as he charged onto the field prior to kickoff.
“I know it wasn’t a real game, but when I ran on the field, I definitely — man, I felt it,” he said. “It was like a wave running over me. And very, very, just cool.”
While it doesn’t count in the standings, Stein walked away pleased.
“I think we got a lot of really good work,” he said. “That’s the goal of spring is to improve with fundamentals and technique, learn how to practice, learn what winning edges that we need throughout spring to go into summer and fall and prepare the team for play. And we came out of the scrimmage clean. There (were) no injuries, which to me, that’s the biggest win of the day. I could (not) care less about the score.
“If we come out clean, that’s good. The Wildcats won.”
New starting QB Kenny Minchey looked about as expected, with sharp passes evened out by moments of inconsistency. Martels Carter Jr., a defensive back who is lining up at running back this spring, scored a touchdown and had several nice runs.
And the defense forced multiple three-and-outs and also picked off one Minchey pass on a two-point conversion.
This story will be updated.
Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.
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