Tyran Stokes, The No. 1 Player in America, is Officially Visiting Kentucky

Oakland Soldiers’ Tyran Stokes (4) shoots a free throw during a game at Nike EYBL at the Memphis Sports & Events Center on Saturday, May 17, 2025 | Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

As soon as the dust settled on the completion of the 2025-26 Kentucky basketball roster, Mark Pope got to work on the next one. The latest news indicates that he’s off to a great start.

On3’s Joe Tipton reports that Tyran Stokes is currently on an official visit to Kentucky. Stokes is a Louisville native who is the consensus No. 1 player in the 2026 recruiting class. He currently plays high school hoops for Notre Dame in Sherman Oaks, CA.

Stokes previously took official visits to Louisville and Kansas. Mark Pope is making a big move to ensure Kentucky is a serious contender for this 6-foot-7 phenom’s services.

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More Time with Mark Pope

The Kentucky head coach has impeccable timing. Mark Pope is hosting Stokes for an official visit in Lexington. Later this week, Pope will get to spend even more time with the nation’s top-ranked player, and he’s going to be joined by a few other Wildcats.

Mark Pope is one of four college coaches who will lead training camp for Team USA’s U19 squad. Jasper Johnson and Malachi Moreno will be participating in the camp alongside Stokes. The training camp in Colorado Springs begins on June 14th. They will cut the roster from 33 to 12 before the team travels to Switzerland for the 2025 FIBA U19 Men’s World Cup.

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It’s unclear how much this experience can actually help Kentucky’s chances to land Stokes, but it certainly can’t hurt.

Tyran Stokes Scouting Report

On3’s Jamie Shaw explains why Tyran Stokes was a no-brainer at the top spot in the latest On3 rankings update.

“At first glance, with Tyran Stokes, you see that he has the optimal positional size, the explosive athleticism, and an ability to create advantages from multiple levels of the floor. So while he is still developing into a role as an alpha player, you see that he has the immediate framework to work with…

“The highest levels of basketball are looking for players who are able to create positional advantages. Players who can make a play, in the middle of the floor, with the ball in their hands, and consistently win matchups in their immediate area. The positional size is there for Stokes, and he has shown himself capable of making decisions and creating opportunities for his team. How he continues to develop his self-creation, shooting gravity, and motor will go a long way in dictating just how much of his top-end outcome he can reach.”