Kentucky set to host top 20 recruit Deron Rippey Jr. for official visit this weekend

Deron Rippey Jr. - Zack Geoghegan, Kentucky Sports Radio

Kentucky will be the first school to host four-star talent Deron Rippey Jr., one of the nation’s top high school point guards, for an official visit.

And that trip to Lexington will take place this weekend. Rippey will make his way to campus on Friday (his 18th birthday) and stick around until Sunday. It’ll be the first of several official visits on the docket for the 6-foot-2 point guard out of Blair Academy (NJ), the same high school that produced current Kentucky senior Otega Oweh. Rippey is considered the No. 17 overall prospect from the 2026 recruiting cycle, according to Rivals.

After offering him in June, UK coaches have gained ground quickly with Rippey and were regularly sitting courtside to watch him play on the adidas 3SSB circuit for New Heights.

“I love how (Kentucky) continued on the winning program after Coach (John) Calipari left,” Rippey recently told KSR. “Mark Pope, I think he’s a very high-level coach, he’s a guard’s coach, he’s just an overall savant of the game of basketball. Using that terminology, I think I’m a high-level point guard that can think the game fast, so being able to play for a coach like that will be important for me.”

Get the Daily On3 Newsletter in your inbox every morning

By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein.

Rippey is officially down to a dozen finalists: Kentucky, Alabama, Duke, Indiana, Kansas, Louisville, Miami (FL), North Carolina, NC State, Syracuse, Tennessee, and Texas. He has OVs locked in with nine of those 12 schools.

Top-20 overall recruit Deron Rippey Jr., one of the best point guards in the 2026 class, will take an official visit to Kentucky this weekend, source tells @Rivals. https://t.co/kbQojqna8M https://t.co/WKesYYSDNj pic.twitter.com/C3Lh1mfyFP
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) July 31, 2025

After checking out Kentucky this weekend, Rippey plans to take at least eight more official visits between now and November. Trips to Duke and NC State are still in the works, and he already visited Louisville last fall. Rippey has previously said that a commitment decision could come around January.

“I’ve been connected with (Kentucky) for a while now,” Rippey said, adding that he attended the Wildcats’ game against Ohio State in Madison Square Garden during the 2024-25 season. This weekend will be a terrific chance for the UK staff to make a great first impression on one of their top targets.

Below are Rippey’s remaining OVs.