Top-ranked 2026 center Arafan Diane will be in Lexington this weekend

Kentucky men’s basketball is the in the midst of hosting a long list of official visitors this summer/fall. Coming to Lexington this weekend is the nation’s top-ranked center prospect.

7-footer Arafan Diane will begin his official visit with Kentucky on Friday and stay in town through Sunday. Considered a four-star recruit, the native of Guinea is ranked No. 9 overall in the 2026 class by Rivals. UK will be the first of five official visits for Diane, who is expected to announce a decision on his birthday, Nov. 19.

• Kentucky: September 12–14
• Arkansas: September 19–21
• Virginia: September 26–28
• Indiana: October 17–19
• Houston: October 24–26

Diane’s trip to Kentucky was actually bumped up by two weeks, giving head coach Mark Pope the first chance to make a pitch. Pope even popped in for an in-person visit to check on Diane last week. Of note, going into his senior high school season, Diane will be coached by Pope‘s brother-in-law, Damon Archibald, at Iowa United Prep.

After following Diane closely throughout the Adidas 3SSB circuit over the summer, Pope and his staff extended him a scholarship in July and have quickly made up ground on the talented big man. Diane averaged a double-double across five games played at the 3SSB Championships, posting 21.6 points, 13 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.8 blocks per outing. Soon after, he announced an offer from the Wildcats.

“He is very offensively skilled, able to score consistently over both shoulders, make reads out of the post, and utilized balance and footwork when his initial move was cut off,” On3’s Jamie Shaw said of Diane’s game back in July. “A big who plays big is always intriguing, but one who can take space and create an advantage becomes unique.”

Diane certainly has an interesting group of finalists. Arkansas head coach John Calipari was the first of the five remaining schools to offer Diane nearly a year ago, followed by Houston not long after that. Virginia and Indiana entered the mix during the spring. Other than Southern California, which did not make his final five, Kentucky is the most recent school to reach out with an offer.

Will it be too late for Kentucky? How Pope and Co. can impress Diane this weekend could go a long way in convincing him to become a ‘Cat. A home football game at Kroger Field on Saturday under the lights will be a likely stop on his three-day visit. But the focus will be on basketball. As an above-average passer for a big man, there’s a pathway for him to be a good fit at UK. But knowing that another seven-footer, Malachi Moreno, is likely to return next season for his sophomore season could be a hurdle the staff has to help Diane clear.

Going into his official visit run, Houston appears to be the early favorite. Shaw called his shot with Diane to the Cougars back in late July, just a couple of weeks after Kentucky offered. This stretch of five visits will be highly important.

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