Cayden Boozer 'definitely' wants to hear from Kentucky, planning fall decision

Cayden Boozer has done plenty to prove he’s more than his dad’s son or the secondary piece in a package deal with his twin brother. The conversations that previously needed to include Carlos and Cameron Boozer are now separated to highlight the 6-3 points guard out of Miami as an individual, who is now up to No. 16 nationally and No. 3 at his position in the 2025 On3 Industry Ranking — one of the top playmakers in the country.

Boozer doesn’t have much left to prove at this level — he’s averaging 12.0 points, 6.3 assists and 2.9 rebounds for the EYBL circuit-leading 9-1 Nightrydas Elite squad — but he wants to show coaches he’s a winning asset they should want leading their program.

“It’s a great feeling, you know? All of these coaches being here to watch our team, us as individuals, it’s a great feeling,” he told KSR at EYBL Session III in Indianapolis this past weekend. “I’m just trying to show I’m getting better every single time they watch me play. I want to be able to prove that every time I step on the court. … Playmaking, defense, scoring, I’m just trying to help my team be the best they can be and help them win.”

Five schools push the hardest

As things stand currently, Boozer says Duke, Miami, Florida, UNC and Arkansas are the schools prioritizing him going into the heat of his final AAU season ahead of his senior campaign at Christopher Columbus High School.

“Those are the ones I’ve had the most contact with, so I feel like those are the schools pushing for me the most,” he said.

We all know his father Carlos was a superstar at Duke while Miami and Florida are the in-state schools to watch, the former right down the road from his house. There is the blue blood appeal with North Carolina led by Hubert Davis, “a really great guy and a great coach — an amazing coach.” Boozer says “he’s been building that relationship with us and it’s been going great.”

And no, it wouldn’t be weird with the Blue Devil vs. Tar Heel rivalry and his dad on the opposite side.

“It’s not odd for me because I didn’t play for the school [laughs],” he joked. “Maybe it’d be odd for my dad, but not for me. For me, it’s not. … He wants us to do what’s best for us and our careers, whether that’s picking the school he went to or picking another school. He just wants us to do what’s best for us.”

As for Arkansas, that’s a new one from a program standpoint, but coaching continuity is there with John Calipari. He prioritized the Boozer Twins quickly at Kentucky and has continued to do so in his move to Fayetteville.

“I was shocked hearing the news, but it’s the same coach whether he’s at Arkansas or Kentucky,” the four-star guard said. “You know the program (under Calipari), what they’re trying to build at each program. Now you really get to see what they’re trying to do at that program (Arkansas).”

Potential Kentucky interest

So where do things stand with Kentucky now a month into the Mark Pope era? The Wildcats were seen as a darkhorse contender to land the twin brothers before, but things were a bit cold during the coaching change.

With the dust settling a bit, though, Boozer is interested in hearing Pope and Kentucky out, certainly with familiarity there in Lexington after getting the lay of the land during his official visit.

“Definitely (want to hear from the Wildcats),” Boozer told KSR. “Kentucky is a winning program that has won eight national championships. That’s a winning program. My visit was when Coach Cal was there, but the facilities there were amazing. If they reached out, I’d definitely be interested, for sure.”

That starts with a potential follow-up visit to trip the new culture in Lexington and whether there’s a fit there or not. “It’s going to be a little complicated” with visits, though, with his AAU schedule full while also playing with Team USA in June. Those will have to come at some point later in the summer and beyond.

That puts new schools at a potential disadvantage considering his prior relationships and decision timeline — he won’t be waiting until the spring to commit.

“They’ve been able to build that relationship the longest and they’ve been in the recruiting process the longest,” he said of schools that have been recruiting him the longest. “It gives them an advantage because we’ve been able to talk to them longer than the schools that are just trying to get in now.”

A decision timeline

So when is a decision coming? The specifics aren’t nailed down quite yet, but he does have a deadline in mind.

“I’m not really worried about when I’m signing or committing, but I would like to do it before the school season starts, high school season,” he said. “I have no idea (how I’m going to announce it), I just know I want to do it before the season starts.”

Does that include his brother in a potential package deal? He’s interested in joining forces, obviously, but it all depends on the fit. They’ll be making separate decisions regardless.

“It’d be awesome if I could play with him in college, but it just has to be the best fit for both of us,” Boozer said. “We’ve visited the same schools at the same time, so we’ve talked about what we think about each school. It just has to be the best fit for both of us.”

How you land Cayden Boozer

What will he be prioritizing when that time comes?

“I just want to be at a place that is a winning program who will develop me to be the best player and person I can possibly be, someone who can get me to the next level,” Boozer said.

And make no mistake about it: the four-star guard wants to be recruited as top-20 prospect Cayden Boozer, not Cameron’s brother or The Boozer Twins. That pitch carries a lot of weight when sifting through his potential options.

“That’s really important. I’m picking a school to play for a coach that is going to trust me,” he told KSR. “If people only think of me as a duo, that’s not going to build any trust at all. I have to go to a place where the coach has trust in me.”

The door is cracked for Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats to jump into the thick of things, but they’ll have to act quickly.