Kentucky among the top schools recruiting 2026 Top 20 prospect Deron Rippey Jr.

Kentucky is making a push for one of the best high school point guards in the country.

According to On3’s Joe Tipton, Kentucky is among a group of nine schools that class of 2026 prospect Deron Rippey Jr. is hearing from the most. The Wildcats join a list that also includes Kansas, North Carolina, Rutgers, Alabama, Arkansas, Louisville, Syracuse, and Seton Hall. The 6-foot-1, 175-pound Rippey is considered a four-star recruit and is ranked as the nation’s No. 20 overall junior (No. 4 point guard).

Rippey has yet to publicly announce an offer from Kentucky, but he was in New York last month to watch the Wildcats take on (and lose to) Ohio State in the CBS Sports Classic. So far he’s taken an official visit to Louisville along with unofficials to Rutgers, Syracuse, and Villanova.

2026 Top-20 recruit Deron Rippey Jr. tells me these nine schools are currently the most active in his recruitment 👇 https://t.co/WFQnqUSQaD pic.twitter.com/FBd8aCg8I0

— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) January 3, 2025

Rippey has been on Kentucky’s radar dating back to the summer when assistant coach Jason Hart first reached out. That being said, the Wildcats have also offered several talented guards from the 2026 cycle. PG Brandon McCoy (No. 1), CG Jason Crowe Jr. (No. 8), and PG Tay Kinney (No. 19) are all among head coach Mark Pope‘s top targets and have already received scholarships. Whether or not Rippey ends up taking a visit to Lexington in the coming months will be telling.

“When I’m on these visits, I’ll look at the team’s culture,” Rippey recently told On3’s Jamie Shaw. “See what it is that the players and the coaches prioritize. Do the coaches and players hold each other accountable?”

Of note, Rippey plays his high school ball at Blair Academy (NJ), the same school that current Kentucky junior guard Otega Oweh attended. Rippey’s sister, De’Naya, is currently a freshman at Saint Peter’s.