Kentucky target Anthony Thompson locks in October commitment date

Mark Pope (left) and Anthony Thompson - UK Athletics

We have a commitment date for one of Kentucky men’s basketball’s top recruiting targets.

According to On3’s Joe Tipton, five-star 2026 prospect Anthony Thompson is set to announce his college decision on Tuesday, October 21. The 6-foot-8 wing out of Western Reserve (OH) is down to a list of finalists that includes Kentucky, Indiana, Texas, Ohio State, Michigan, and North Carolina. Thompson officially visited all six programs during August and September. Purdue, a school that was once in the mix, has been removed from his final group.

“(Mark Pope has) done a good job of connecting with Anthony and recruiting him,” Thompson’s head coach at Western Reserve, Matt Garvey, recently told KSR+. “It’s been going on for more than a year now, so it’s been great.”

Thompson, who took his official visit to UK a couple of weeks ago, is considered the No. 6 overall high school senior in the country by the Rivals Industry Ranking.

5⭐️ Anthony Thompson will announce his college commitment on October 21st, agent Nate Conley of Court XIV tells @Rivals.

The 6-8 small forward is a top-10 recruit in the 2026 class. https://t.co/MnPBiM22UV pic.twitter.com/WnT7HuBKBS
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) October 9, 2025

With less than two weeks until his decision day, Kentucky appears to be on the outside looking in with Thompson. An easy explanation as to why is the Wildcats’ pursuit of another five-star, Tyran Stokes, the top-ranked recruit from 2026. UK continues to trend in the right direction for Stokes, with his decision potentially coming any day now. The growing buzz around Kentucky and Stokes in recent weeks has led to dying buzz around Kentucky and Thompson.

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The “hometown” connection with Ohio State has the Buckeyes in the thick of the race for Thompson. Indiana is another school being consistently mentioned. The connection with his AAU program on the adidas 3SSB circuit, Indiana Elite, could come into play for the Hoosiers. Those two schools appear to be the ones to watch coming down the home stretch, but no predictions have been logged by any major media outlets at this time.

Thompson would still be a terrific addition if he ends up picking Kentucky, but something would have to change between now and Oct. 21 to make that happen.

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