Jordan Smith Jr. sets commitment date with Arkansas trending

Another big-time Kentucky target is set to come off the board, and it doesn’t appear to be a positive development for Mark Pope and the Wildcats. Jordan Smith Jr., who is ranked No. 3 in the 2026 class by Rivals, will make his college commitment on Friday, February 13, he tells Joe Tipton.

The five-star guard will choose between Arkansas, Duke, Georgetown, Indiana, Kentucky and Syracuse after taking official visits to Durham, Fayetteville and Lexington to go with unofficials to Syracuse and D.C. He did not check out Bloomington before taking the next steps in his recruitment.

As for the favorites, it’s been thought to be a two-horse race between the Razorbacks and the Blue Devils with the latter opening as the heavy favorite before the former swooped in to steal the late momentum. The Wildcats have been seen as the dark horse candidate in third place, waiting for a potential opening that never appeared to come, unfortunately.

UK had an assistant check in with Smith in December, and before that, he was in attendance for Big Blue Madness.

“The standard that [Mark Pope] is going to hold me to if I commit is a really high standard to get me to where I want to be,” Smith told KSR+ after his official visit. “They want to have me on the ball and help them win at the highest level. That’s what I’m being recruited for at all these other schools, but their emphasis is winning the most, specifically at Kentucky.”

The issue? Arkansas has received an RPM from Rivals’ Jamie Shaw, submitted on Tuesday. Four other picks have come in for the Hogs on 247Sports, as well — including multiple from Duke insiders. No momentum for the Wildcats.

The five-star guard recently had this to say about the Razorbacks, according to Joe Tipton:

“I talk with Coach (John) Calipari, and he keeps it real with me at all times. Coach Chin (Coleman) keeps it real with me, too, and I appreciate that. Seeing what the freshmen are doing this season, it just shows that Calipari is willing to help his players by any means necessary. It shows me that if I go there, I could really play my role.”

Where could Kentucky pivot? Tyran Stokes, Caleb Holt and Christian Collins are still technically targets, but trending in the wrong direction, too. Miikka Muurinen and Brandon McCoy are wildcards while 2027 reclass possibilities could always emerge. Overall, though, 2026 is looking like a punt, for now.