Kentucky still among frontrunners for Caleb Wilson with decision timeline in mind

Photo of Caleb Wilson via Instagram: @c.dubbb | UK Athletics

The Big Blue Nation is sitting on pins and needles for Caleb Wilson‘s college commitment. Kentucky continues to sit in a great spot with the five-star prospect, who participated in the Holiday Hoopsgiving event in Atlanta over the weekend.

On3’s Jamie Shaw caught up with Wilson after his game on Friday to get the latest on his recruitment. Wilson previously dropped a top five consisting of Kentucky, North Carolina, Central Florida, Tennessee, and Ohio State. He reiterated that to Shaw, also noting that he’s officially done taking visits. The 6-foot-9 power forward has previously scheduled two trips to Arkansas in November, both of which were ultimately canceled.

Wilson also reaffirmed that he’s planning to make a decision in either “mid-December or early January”, adding that he’s emphasizing the returning pieces within each of his finalists for the 2025-26 season.

“They run and gun, shoot a lot of threes, and run the court,” Wilson told Shaw about Kentucky. “They have a lot of older players so they play with a lot of experience. Coach (Mark) Pope is an energetic coach and he has a high basketball IQ.

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“His message, he just tells me that I fit his system perfectly. I think I do too. He allows his fours to push the floor and make decisions. I feel like that is something I’m really good at, pushing and passing.”

Pope has already brought in a trio of talented 2025 high school recruits for his debut class. Five-star SG Jasper Johnson (No. 14 overall) is the headliner followed by four-star C Malachi Moreno (No. 29) and four-star PG Acaden Lewis (No. 30). Adding Wilson (No. 5) into the fold would be an excellent group of freshmen going into Pope’s second year as head coach.

North Carolina continues to be considered the main competition for Kentucky as Wilson winds down his recruitment. Across On3, 247Sports, and Rivals, there are currently four picks logged in favor of Wilson choosing UK. Wilson told Travis Branham of 247Sports that his top five list will soon be cut down to a top two and that one team has emerged as the leader. Is that team Kentucky? We’ll find out in the coming weeks.