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Where Does Kentucky Basketball Stand in the 2023 Recruiting Class?

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Joe Arruda/The Student

Thus far in the class of 2023, Kentucky currently has received only one commitment, in-state five-star legacy recruit, Reed Sheppard.

As of recent, Kentucky has missed on several top recruits due to unfortunate circumstances, such as a family member being hired by another school (cough. James Wiseman. Cough. Cade Cunningham), or just not being a top choice. While the college basketball landscape has drastically with NIL and the transfer portal, it is no excuse and Kentucky has to adapt.

Kentucky has targeted several top guys in the class, so let’s learn about them and see where the Wildcats stand.

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DJ Wagner

The prized No. 1 overall recruit in the 2023 class, DJ Wagner, has long been presumed to be a Kentucky Wildcat. This is due to the connection between his father Dajuan Wagner, and John Calipari, who Dajuan has said multiple times that he owes his professional basketball career to.

However, recent momentum has been going towards the Louisville Cardinals, and if you are one to put stock into the 247 Crystal Ball predictions, Kentucky and Louisville are now even at 50%. With that said, Kentucky is helped by the fact that Kenny Payne did not hire DJ’s grandfather, Milt Wagner, to the UofL staff, despite rumors that he would.

It looks like it will come down to a rivalry battle to land Wagner’s services, and while he has yet to give any hint on where he is leaning, DJ says neither his father nor grandfather is pushing either way.

“They’re just telling me to go wherever I feel is best, do what’s best for me, what I want to do. Do what makes me happy. It definitely feels great that they’re hands-off and letting me make my own decision,” DJ said to The Athletic’s Kyle Tucker.

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Justin Edwards

“It’s Kentucky. I don’t know what else to say. It’s Kentucky,” Justin Edwards recently said when asked about the program.

The 6-foot-7 product from Philadelphia is a top-10 player in the class and has become one of Kentucky’s top targets, and for good reason. The wing has become one of the top playmakers on the Nike EYBL circuit, averaging 19 points and 5.6 rebounds while shooting 40 percent from three.

While a decision is not expected until this fall it is looking to be a battle of the checkerboards, between Kentucky and Tennessee. Both schools were listed in his final seven options, which he just released last week, and are considered to be the favorites amongst recruiting insiders.

Robert Dillingham

Forty-eight hours before his original commitment, Robert Dillingham had seven 247 Sports Crystal Ball predictions to Kentucky, however, he ultimately chose NC State. Yet, the recruitment is not over, as Dillingham decommitted from NC State back in March after they received NCAA violations.

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Currently ranked as the top point guard in the 2023 class, Dillingham is the perfect modern point guard. While being a confident scorer from all three levels, Dillingham is also willing to make the extra pass and put his teammates in position to succeed.

Kentucky is expected to make Dilligham’s upcoming top five, and there is confidence among the coaching staff expecting Dillingham to ultimately commit to the Wildcats, as UK assistant Chin Coleman recently told Dillingham, “I’m not gonna lose this time”.

Aaron Bradshaw

One of Kentucky’s most recent offers and the teammate of DJ Wagner, Aaron Bradshaw is a 7-footer that is ranked as one of the best centers in the class. Known for his shot-blocking ability, Bradshaw ranks second in the Nike EYBL circuit with 3.2 blocks per game.

Bradshaw and Wagner could come as a package deal, but could also go their separate ways, but either way, Kentucky is high on Bradshaw’s list. “If DJ goes or he doesn’t go, it doesn’t matter. Kentucky is top five for me, for sure,” Bradshaw told Kyle Tucker.

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Matas Buzelis

Picture a long and lanky 6-foot-10 wing that can handle like a guard and shoot lights out from three. Are you thinking of Kevin Durant? Jabari Smith? Try, Matas Buzelis.

Currently averaging 11.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, while shooting 60 percent from the field and 40 percent from three, Buzelis is a type of player that has never played at Kentucky, and would be a big piece to motivate Calipari to play a more modern brand basketball.

Buzelis does a have a good connection with UK assistant Chin Coleman, as Buzelis formerly played for Mac Irvin Fire, a program from Chicago that Coleman used to coach and direct. With that said, Kentucky looks to be competing with Duke and most recently, North Carolina, for the Lithuanian’s services.

Andrej Stojakovic

The “Stojakovic” name may sound familiar to many, as Andrej is the son of three-time NBA All-Star and NBA champion, Peja Stojakovic, one of the best shooters in NBA history. The shooting genes must run strong in the family, as Andrej is considered one of the best, if not the best, shooters in the class of 2023.

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Stojakovic’s stock is rising as fast as any other recruit in the country, and Kentucky is not the only school taking notice. In just the last month, Stojakovic has received over a dozen other offers from power five schools including Kansas, Oregon, UCLA, and Texas among others.

With that said, the Kentucky offer seemed to carry a little more weight with Stojakovic telling 247 Sports, “it meant the world to me.”


As seen, Kentucky is in good position with many of the top recruits in the 2023 class, but they must capitalize and receive commitments.

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BB Recruiting

Top 20 Prospect Taylen Kinney Set To Visit Kentucky

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James Weber | The Enquirer

Taylen Kinney, one of the top guards in the 2026 class and the No. 1 point guard in Kentucky, will take an official visit with the Wildcats beginning on June 24.

The Newport, Kentucky native has been inserted in a bit of a bidding war with Louisville and other premier schools after his official visit with the Cardinals, but of course the true recruiting powerhouse had to cast a line in hope of a bite.

KSR’s Jack Pilgrim caught a video of Kinney working with Mark Pope one-on-one on the morning of June 17 at the USA U19 Training Camp in Colorado Springs.

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A picture of Kinney, along with Malachi Moreno and Jasper Johnson, two of Kentucky’s incoming freshman on this year’s squad, came out of the camp. Tyran Stokes, the No. 1 player in the class of 2026, who already took a visit to Kentucky recently, was also shown in the picture. All four players are Kentucky natives.

Kinney is a priority for Kentucky, and Pope planting the idea of being a Wildcat in his mind this past weekend certainly builds the hype of his commitment being a future reality.

However, we can’t act like Pat Kelsey hasn’t already beat Pope to the punch, and it may be too late to change Kinney’s mind on being a Cardinal.

“I probably talk to coach Kelsey twice a week,” Kinney said. “He talks to my parents multiple times a week. I talk to the whole staff all of the time.”

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He later added on some words that no Wildcat fan would want to hear.

“They (Louisville’s staff) just told me that I was their guy,” Kinney said. “I fit perfectly into their system, and there’s no other school that I fit better into than them.

A common member of Big Blue Nation would likely think “yeah alright, wait until you get that Kentucky treatment,” and with the climate of today’s recruiting trail, who knows what can happen.

It will likely be a long time before the star guard makes an official decision, but who doesn’t like a good back-and-forth between two rival programs. The bell has already rung, and round one goes to the Cardinals, but the Wildcats are coming out swinging for round two.

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No. 1 Ranked Recruit Takes Official Visit to Kentucky

The top-ranked recruit in the nation, Tyran Stokes, took his official visit to Kentucky following a prior delay.

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Tyran Stokes takes his official visit to Kentucky.
Mark J. Rebilas | Imagn Images

Being from Louisville doesn’t necessarily make you a cardinal, and Mark Pope has set out to prove that in the biggest possible way.

The top-ranked overall recruit in next year’s class, Tyran Stokes, officially took a visit to Lexington on Sunday, June 8. This comes in lieu of many rumors that he’d canceled his visit altogether due to frustration with fans trying to dig for information online.

Last month in a cryptic post on X, Stokes said, “Why can’t y’all give a kid some privacy”. As curious as that was, especially given the proximity to his originally planned visit to Kentucky, it seems that the true issue had no bearing on his choice to hear Coach Pope’s plea. 

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And, as Kentucky fans now know, sometimes that’s all it takes to get a guy in blue and white.

The Louisville native, at 6’7, 230, has become widely renowned for his strong slashing ability as a multi-threat scorer on the wing. Stokes is the sort of player that, nobody who you already have on your team, you make room for him. He’s got an intangible build made for the big leagues, and he’s not even out of high school yet.

Stokes is the kind of guy that’d have NBA scouts sitting court side in Rupp Arena. While that level of national buzz isn’t always a good thing, it’s hard to underscore the possibility, and excitement, of the top recruit in the nation committing to the Cats come 2026.

In the very least, Kentucky is in the race, alongside Kansas and Louisville as heavy pursuers. It’s never too early to look ahead, and, as usual, Pope and staff are doing just that with the biggest names in the game.

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Kentucky Earns Commitment From European Big Andrija Jelavic

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ABA League j.t.d./Dragana Stjepanovic

Earlier today, Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats received the commitment from Andrija Jelavic, a 6-foot-11 big from Croatia.

As first reported by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, Jelavic is one of the most highly regarded European prospects that is taking his talent to the NCAA.

Soon to be 21 years old, Jelavic averaged 10.8 points per game on 60% shooting from the field to go along with 7.4 rebounds per game for Mega Superbet, the same club that NBA Champion and three-time MVP Nikola Jokic played for.

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As a shock to most, who were expecting Pope’s next commit to be a guard of some sorts, international players can now sign lucrative NIL deals. Kentucky, along with several of the elite colleges, are now in the European market. 

Jelavic, with shades of current European big men, can do just about everything on the court. He can shoot, dribble, pass, finish at the rim, etc. With a very relevant comparison, Jelavic plays almost perfectly in the replacement role of Andrew Carr. 

His commitment now makes him the fifth member of Pope’s additions this offseason, joining Kam Williams, Jaland Lowe, Mouhamed Dioubate and Jayden Quaintance. 

With a 7’2” wingspan, joining an already impressive Kentucky frontcourt, it’s safe to say for certain that this new team will not lack in that department. 

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Next year’s roster was loaded with talent already, but now with the addition of Jelavic, lots of questions are arising: Who will start? How many more players is Pope going to add? What will happen with the walk-ons? 

There’s plenty to think about for Pope and his staff before the season starts, but like he said back when he introduced himself to Big Blue Nation, “We’re here to win banners.” He’s going to make the moves he thinks will do just that for the Wildcats. 

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