'23 5-star Justin Edwards includes Kentucky among top 7

Kentucky is very much in the mix for one of the top high school players in the country.

Justin Edwards, a five-star class of 2023 small forward, is down to just seven potential options for the next level, he tells On3’s Joe Tipton. The Wildcats made the cut, as did the likes of Tennessee, Auburn, Maryland, Kansas, Villanova, and the NBA’s G League Ignite. A 6-foot-7 wing out of the Philadelphia Imhotep Institute, Edwards is considered the No. 13 overall junior prospect, according to the On3 Consensus.

2023 five-star Justin Edwards is down to six schools and the G-League, he tells @On3Recruits.

Story: https://t.co/SODijsBqpQ pic.twitter.com/bvff7PDnMI

— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) April 28, 2022

Kentucky and Tennessee both paid in-home visits to Edwards earlier this week, not long after he was named the Defensive MVP over the weekend at the Nike EYBL second session in Indianapolis. As of right now, the Wildcats and Volunteers are viewed as the favorites, with Auburn playing the role of darkhorse. Kentucky and Tennessee have both hosted Edwards for official visits in the past, as well.

At one point, the ‘Cats were considered the favorites, but the race is quickly heating up as Edwards enters the final stretch of his process.

Tennessee: “It was like a family atmosphere,” Edwards told On3. “They welcomed me like I was family and I liked that. I like building connections with the players and stuff. I just like feeling like I’m welcomed. I’m looking at how (Rick Barnes) plays his wings. Like the past wings that he’s had and the wings he has now, and I feel like he does a good job with them.”

Kentucky: “It’s Kentucky, you know? I don’t know what else to say… They get people to the pros, I would say. (John Calipari) has been very successful at it.”

A decision is expected sometime this fall.