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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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2024 5-Star Wing Karter Knox Commits To Kentucky

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2024 five-star prospect, Karter Knox commits to the Kentucky Wildcats.
Adam Hagy | Overtime Elite

Over the weekend, Kentucky not only got a Top 5 road win against Tennessee, or be featured in Drake’s concert at Rupp Arena, but they also received a 2024 commitment from a five-star recruit.

Karter Knox, a top-20 player in the 2024 class, and brother of former Wildcat Kevin Knox, announced his commitment to Kentucky on Saturday. Karter committed to Kentucky over South Florida, Louisville, and a return to Overtime Elite, with the latter two being seen as the most likely destination until nearly the very end.

Why Kentucky? “Coach Calipari has sent a lot of people to the league and I want to be a pro,” Knox said after his commitment. “He told me he’s going to make me a pro. I’m ready to hoop and win a national championship.”

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Knox joins five-star prospects Jayden Quaintance, Boogie Fland, and Somto Cyril, and four-stars Travis Perry and Billy Richmond in Kentucky’s 2024 recruiting class. Together, Kentucky’s class now ranks 2nd in the nation, behind Duke.

Don’t think that Knox will be Kentucky’s last take in the class as there are murmurs of 2024 decomitmments and 2025 reclassifications including Darryn Peterson, Jasper Johnson, and most recently, Joson Sanon.

Scouting Report

Per 247Sports’ Adam Finkelstein.

Karter Knox is a true three-range scorer on the wing. He’s not quite as big as advertised, but he compensates with long arms, a naturally strong build, soft hands, good timing in a variety of different circumstances, and a versatile skill-set.

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While he’s a shooting threat from three with a soft natural ball and compact release, and even capable of making some threes on the move, he’s proven to be most efficient inside the arc to this point in his career.

He has very good perimeter footwork, can attack to either side off the dribble without wasting much motion, and plays through contact while doing so. He is a consistent pull-up threat in the mid-range area and showing an increased willingness to punish smaller defenders in the post. He’s shown flashes of passing ability and unselfishness, and is also a quality rebounder on the wing.

Defensively, he’s not the most laterally quick, but has enough size and length to be effective. The key is being consistently locked in though as he has times, particularly with his high school team, where he’s shown less sense of urgency on that end of the floor.

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2025 No. 1 Point Guard Darius Acuff Updates Recruitment, Talks About Kentucky Wanting Him to Be A Leader

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Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

Darius Acuff, the No. 9 player and No. 1 point guard in the 2025 class, is one of Kentucky’s biggest recruiting targets in the class. While he has yet to drop a top list, Kentucky is believed to be in a really good position.

With his recruitment about to ramp up this spring, Acuff spoke with On3 to update his recruitment and discuss the two official visits he took last fall, one of which was to Kentucky for Big Blue Madness.

“It was lit down there,” he told On3. “I went down for Big Blue Madness. They’re a great school and have put a lot of players in the league. I’ve been doing my research on all the schools and I’ve seen all the guards they’ve had. They play my style of play and let their guards make plays. Their facilities were big and they definitely showed a lot of love when I was there. It was a great school.”

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During another interview with 247Sports, Acuff provided some insight into what the staff talked about during his visit.

“On the visit they told me to watch DJ Wagner and see how he talks and his leadership as the point guard of the team,” Acuff said. “They’d want to play my game if I were to go there, get to the next level and be a leader. Most of our conversations was about being a leader 24/7 because the team will go how you go.”

Kentucky recruiting Acuff as a leader suggests that the staff envisions him to be a key piece for the 2025 class, leading the team as the point guard.

Acuff’s lone other visit was to his home state school of Michigan, but he is looking to take more over the coming weeks and months, to Kansas (March 5th), Texas, Houston, Georgia Tech, and others.

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What is Acuff looking for in a school? “I’m going to be looking for a program and a coach that is going to let me do me and let me rock out,” he says. “I want to play with a coach who is going to teach me right from wrong and be there to support me. I’ve thought some about the pro stuff, I want to go to college though. Yeah, college for sure.”

John Calipari will let a player “rock out” if they prove themself to be good enough, just look at Rob Dillingham this season. That said, a proven three-level scorer, Acuff put up the fourth-highest point average in Nike’s EYBL last season.

For Kentucky, this is a positive update and certainly a recruitment to watch.

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Kentucky Expressing Interest In 2025 Kiyan Anthony, Son of Former NBA Star Carmelo Anthony

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Kentucky is showing interest in Kiyan Anthony, the son of former NBA star Carmelo Anthony.
Nike EYBL/Team Melo

Kentucky has been expressing interest in the son of former NBA star Carmelo Anthony, Kiyan Anthony. While he has the nation’s attention partly due to his father’s name, he is a top-40 player in the class of 2025.

Anthony played in the Marshall County Hoopfest in December, where the Kentucky staff was in attendance to check out 2024 Top-5 prospect VJ Edgecombe, who has since committed to Baylor. While there, they were impressed enough to reach out to Kiyan, who recently spoke with On3 to discuss his new Kentucky interests among other topics.

“I recently started to talk to Kentucky because they’ve been at our games and practices because of my teammate, VJ (Edgecombe). So I guess they were really impressed in practice and stuff,” Anthony said. He spoke with the Kentucky staff after his game in Marshall County, he said.

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He had some pretty good praise for Kentucky when he talked about his thoughts on the program. “I feel like Kentucky is top-tier when it comes to getting people to the league and just winning,” Anthony said. “Coach Cal, he’s not going to show any mercy. He really pushes his players to the max. Some people aren’t built for it, but I feel like the ones that are, they really take that next step and get to the league or get where they need to go.”

It needs to be noted that Kentucky has yet to extend an offer, but Anthony says, “The coaches over there are texting me, telling me to keep working. When they come to practice they say how I’m getting a lot better and they have their eyes on me.”

John Calipari has never been keen on the extra stuff that comes with having the son of a former NBA star (i.e. Bronny James) on his team, but could Kiyan be an exception? Time will tell, but at this moment it doesn’t seem likely.

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