Kentucky MBB staff reaching out to nation's top recruits as 2027 contact period begins

Once the clock hit midnight and the calendar shifted over to June 15, class of 2027 high school recruits were allowed to hear directly from college coaches. Mark Pope and his Kentucky staff wasted no time reaching out to their favorite targets.

The Wildcats have already contacted at least 11 of the best high school juniors in the country, according to Jacob Polacheck of KSR+, including the top four prospects from the On3 Industry Ranking. 10 of the 11 contacted recruits rank inside the top 50. Despite Pope and a couple of his staffers being in Colorado Springs this week for the 2025 USA Basketball Men’s U19 Training Camp, they all still found time to chat up some of the most talented hoopers in the country.

Dive in below to see which 2027 recruits Kentucky has been in talks with over the last 20-ish hours. This list is only going to grow, too.

C.J. Rosser (PF) 6-9, 185 | Northern Nash (Rocky Mount, NC)
5-star: No. 1 overall, No. 1 PF

Baba Oladotun (SF) 6-8, 165 | James Hubert Blake (Silver Spring, MD)
5-star: No. 2 overall, No. 1 SF | PREVIOUSLY OFFERED BY KENTUCKY

Ryan Hampton (SG) 6-5, 175 | Dynamic Prep (Rockwall, TX)
5-star: No. 3 overall, No. 1 SG

Obinna Ekezie Jr. (C) 6-11, 215 | Prolific Prep (Napa, CA)
5-star: No. 4 overall, No. 1 C | PREVIOUSLY OFFERED BY KENTUCKY

Bruce Branch (SF) 6-7, 170 | Perry (Gilbert, AZ)
4-star: No. 8 overall, No. 4 SF

King Gibson (PG) 6-5, 175 | Montverde Academy (Burlington, NC)
4-star: No. 12 overall, No. 1 PG

TJ Jamison (PG) 6-2, 160 | Calvary Baptist Academy (Shreveport, LA)
4-star: No. 14 overall, No. 2 PG

Dawson Battie (PF) 6-8, 190 | St. Mark’s (Dallas, TX)
4-star: No. 21 overall, No. 4 PF

Martay Barnes (CG) 6-2, 170 | Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy (Melbourne, FL)
4-star: No. 29 overall, No. 1 CG

Reese Alston (PG) 6-1, 150 | Second Baptist Houston (Houston, TX)
4-star: No. 42 overall, No. 12 PG

Donovan Davis (PF) 6-7, 200 | Freedom (Kaukauna, WI)
4-star: No. 75 overall, No. 11 PF

Want more Kentucky Basketball intel? Join KSR Plus for access to bonus content and KSBoard, KSR’s message board, to chat with fellow Cats fans and get exclusive scoop.