Kentucky MBB making presence felt with recruits across the country

ZGeogheganKSR

The fall recruiting period officially began on Friday, Sept. 9 and Kentucky head coach John Calipari is making his presence felt all across the country. The 63-year-old and his staff are hitting the recruiting trail with the energy of hungry up-and-comers.

It hasn’t even been a full week since in-person contact was allowed by coaches, but Calipari and company have wasted little time zeroing in on their top targets. From five-star high school seniors to unknown in-state freshmen, the staff is covering all of its bases. Kentucky appears to be taking a more aggressive approach to recruiting, looking beyond the oldest class of current prospects.

Below are all of the high school recruits we know of that have either already received or will receive in-person visits from members of the Kentucky staff over the upcoming weeks.

*All player rankings are courtesy of the On3 Consensus*

Class of 2023 prospects

DJ Wagner (CG) 6-3, 165 | Camden (Camden, NJ) Offered by Kentucky
5-star; No. 1 overall, No. 1 CG

DJ Wagner and longtime five-star teammate Aaron Bradshaw were the first pit stop for the Kentucky coaching staff once the fall recruiting period began on Friday.

Justin Edwards (SF) 6-7, 180 | Imhotep Institute (Philadelphia, PA) Committed to Kentucky
5-star; No. 3 overall, No. 1 SF

Aaron Bradshaw (C) 7-1, 210 | Camden (Rahway, NJ) Offered by Kentucky
5-star; No. 7 overall, No. 2 C

Robert Dillingham (PG) 6-2, 165 | Donda Academy (Charlotte, NC) Committed to Kentucky
5-star; No. 8 overall, No. 2 PG

Ron Holland (PF) 6-8, 195 | Duncanville (Duncanville, TX) Offered by Kentucky
5-star; No. 9 overall, No. 1 PF

Members of the Kentucky coaching staff spent Monday in Texas to meet with a few different recruits, one of which was Ron Holland. The ‘Cats are still in the race to add Holland to the ’23 class, although Arkansas and Texas appear to be the current frontrunners.

Reed Sheppard (CG) 6-2, 170 | North Laurel (London, KY) Committed to Kentucky
4-star; No. 27 overall, No. 6 CG

A source tells KSR that both Calipari and assistant coach Orlando Antigua will travel to London, KY on Thursday to visit Reed Sheppard and his family.

Eric Dailey (PF) 6-7, 215 | IMG Academy (Bradenton, FL)
4-star; No. 51 overall, No. 10 PF

It was a bit of a shock to see Kentucky crack Dailey’s top 8, but Calipari did stop by IMG Academy on Wednesday to meet with the high school senior, per Pro Insight’s Andrew Slater.

Class of 2024 prospects

Tre Johnson (SG) 6-5, 180 | Lake Highlands (Dallas, TX) Offered by Kentucky
5-star: No. 1 overall, No. 1 SG

Along with Holland, top-ranked high school junior Tre Johnson is another Texas product that met with UK coaches earlier this week.

Ian Jackson (SG) 6-5, 180 | Cardinal Hayes (Bronx, NY) Offered by Kentucky
5-star: No. 2 overall, No. 2 SG

Arguably the coaching staff’s favorite player in the ’24 class, Ian Jackson received a visit from Kentucky on Tuesday.

Naasir Cunningham (SF) 6-7, 180 | Overtime Elite Academy (West Orange, NJ)
5-star: No. 4 overall, No. 1 SF

Naasir Cunningham is one of three Overtime Elite prospects to have Kentucky come visit this week. He’s considered the most talented of the trio.

Johnuel “Boogie” Fland (PG) 6-3, 165 | Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, NY) Offered by Kentucky
4-star: No. 11 overall, No. 2 PG

Multiple reports indicate that Kentucky was in to see Johnuel “Boogie” Fland on Monday.

Airious “Ace” Bailey (PF) 6-7, 170 | McEachern (Powder Springs, GA) Offered by Kentucky
5-star: No. 7 overall, No. 1 PF

Not long after the UK staff left Georgia on Tuesday, On3’s Joe Tipton broke the news that Airious “Ace” Bailey earned a scholarship offer from Coach Calipari himself.

Karter Knox (SF) 6-5, 180 | Tampa Catholic (Tampa, FL) Offered by Kentucky
4-star: No. 13 overall, No. 4 SF

After stopping by to see Dailey and IMG Academy, Calipari stayed in Florida to check in on Karter Knox, the younger brother of former Wildcat forward Kevin Knox.

Dylan Harper (CG) 6-5, 180 | Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, NJ)
4-star: No. 16 overall, No. 1 CG

Pro Insight’s Andrew Slater reports that Kentucky will soon be in to see Harper for an open gym, along with the likes of Duke (which has offered), UCLA, Michigan, Kansas, and Indiana. Harper is the son of five-time NBA champion Ron Harper and the younger brother of Ron Harper Jr., who is now with the NBA’s G League.

Asa Newell (PF) 6-8, 200 | Montverde Academy (Fort Walton Beach, FL)
4-star: No. 21 overall, No. 4 PF

On3’s Joe Tipton reports that Kentucky, among many other schools, will stop by Montverde Academy this week to watch Asa Newell.

Jayden Williams (PF) 6-8, 195 | Overtime Elite Academy (Chicago, IL)
4-star: No. 9 overall, No. 2 PF

Tahaad Pettiford (PG) 6-0, 160 | Hudson Catholic (Jersey City, NJ) Offered by Kentucky
4-star: No. 29 overall, No. 5 PG

Kentucky wasted little time checking in on Tahaard Pettiford, who holds an offer from the ‘Cats. Members of the UK staff visited him on Sunday.

Amier Ali (SF) 6-8, 175 | IMG Academy (Columbus, OH)
4-star; No. 24 overall, No. 7 SF

While stopping by to see Dailey at IMG Academy, UK coaches made sure to check out Amier Ali, who has been on the Wildcats’ radar for several months now.

Jahki Howard (SF) 6-6, 175 | Overtime Elite Academy (Norcross, GA)
4-star; No. 49 overall, No. 15 SF

Dink Pate (SG) 6-7, 180 | Pinkston (Dallas, TX)
4-star; No. 51 overall, No. 11 SG

The last of three Texas products to have Kentucky stop by was Dink Pate, who is due for a sizable jump in the next rankings update. Travis Graf of Rivals reports that Pate will visit Lexington for next month’s Big Blue Madness.

Class of 2025 prospects

Darryn Peterson (SG) 6-5, 175 | Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy (Cuyahoga Falls, OH) Offered by Kentucky

The first-ever high school sophomore to earn a legitimate offer from Kentucky, Darryn Peterson is clearly high on the staff’s Big Board. Rivals’ Travis Graf reports that UK will be in to visit Peterson “in the near future”.

Danny Carbuccia (PG) 6-0, 160 | Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, NY)

While in the northeast earlier this week, the Kentucky staff made sure to check out Danny Carbuccia, who is teammates at Archbishop Stepinac with Johnuel “Boogie” Fland.

Class of 2026 prospects

Jayden Johnson (PG) 6-5, 175 | Trinity (Louisville, KY)

Trinity’s Jayden Johnson expects to receive a visit from Kentucky sometime this month, he tells KSR. He also says that Indiana, Florida, Cincinnati, and Michigan will stop by at some point, too. Missouri, Cincinnati, and West Virginia have already offered him.

Jordan Bender (SF) 6-6 | DeSales (Louisville, KY)

NextUpRecruits reports that DeSales High School stars Jordan Bender and Sam Mbingazo will have the likes of UK, Michigan, Florida, and Indiana coming to watch them this month.

Sam Mbingazo (C) 6-9 | DeSales (Louisville, KY)