As we go into August the focus for rising seniors turn from on-court activity to recruiting. It’s still the slow period, but we are beginning to see some individual cycles take form. The 2025’s are trimming lists and setting up visits which take place this time of year.
I’d like to look at Mark Pope first before we get into players. There are questions on how well he will recruit. The only body of work we have so far is from this spring’s transfer portal. I give him an A grade for that job. He took a totally bare roster, and turned it into a top-20 type of team within two months. Not only he did bring in quantity, he added quality as well. They are deep with good players at just about every position. The more I watched film of each one the more obvious it was of how well they mesh together, and how they fit what Pope wants to do. A lot of boxes get checked off with this team.
But the question regarding Pope’s ability to recruit traditional high school players at a Kentucky type of elite level remains to be seen. In fairness, it will take time. Recruits will want to see what his team looks like. However, the biggest question will be whether he can develop first round draft picks that go on to get the second maximum NBA contract. He has yet to do that, and this is what the five-stars want to see.
John Calipari obviously had that whipped. He could go into any living room, and unveil a list a mile long of his former players who achieved multi-generational wealth. The naysayers could allude to talents like Anthony Davis, De’Aaron Fox, Shai-Gilgeous Alexander, and scores of others and say they could have gotten rich via any college program. That was a moot point. Calipari had the achievements, and he didn’t have to try hard to sell it.
This is where Pope needs to get to a degree. He doesn’t have to have as many, but he needs to inspire confidence that he can get guys to walk across the stage. Nate Oats and Danny Hurley faced the same hurdles. They didn’t have future basketball tycoons playing at Buffalo or Rhode Island. It took time, and it will be incremental for Pope as well. As he has success this will be an easier pitch.
It is easier to expand this line of thought by looking at individual players.
Jasper Johnson – He has a list of five finalists, but this is a three horse race between Kentucky, Alabama, and North Carolina. The Crimson Tide has come on of late, and is widely considered the favorite right now. Some might not understand that interest, but Nate Oats has one of the very top hot programs in the country right now, and it is not slowing down. We know the on-court accomplishments, but they also have a new arena in the works, their NIL is buttoned down, and there have been four first-round draft picks since 2020.
We have been told the last factor is the sticking point. There are some concerns that Pope has not developed that first-round pick, and Johnson sees himself as a player with that talent and potential. Kentucky also may not be offered quite as much in NIL, but that can be worked out because he would get a ton of endorsements if the local kid chose his hometown school. Oats has also been successful in this type of venture. Last year he lured Jarin Stevenson away from the Tar Heels. He lived ten minutes from the Chapel Hill campus, and his mom played on UNC’s women’s team. There was also a take among the schools involved that is he chose to attend a high school out of the state of Kentucky then the race would be open for all three schools.
I believe that Bama is the favorite, but it is in pencil. If he was announcing in November after spending a few months at Overtime Elite in Atlanta it would be easier to pull out the ink pen. But he is announcing in late August. He has been in Lexington the last few weeks, and there is still going to be plenty of time for the coaches and Big Blue Nation to throw the kitchen sink at him. There is going to be a ton of pressure to say no to, and I’m unsure that can and will happen. If I’m Oats I would be very uneasy about this.
Malachi Moreno – Could some of the pressure come from another in-state star? Moreno and Johnson have a good relationship. They have been on campus together this summer. I think this is a Kentucky/Indiana race. The Hoosiers have long been considered the favorite, but it has flipped in my opinion, and it helped go in that direction when his brother became more involved in the process. This one isn’t in ink yet, but there is more of a confident feeling at this moment with Moreno wearing blue than Johnson in crimson. Remember that recruiting is fluid, and it could change overnight. But this is the feel as I type this. He will probably take some visits to other places in the fall, but if there is a back-door leader from off the pace that would entail an absolute game changing official. Speaking of visits, Moreno will take his during the Big Blue Madness weekend on October 11.
Tounde Yessoufou - Sometimes when you talk to a recruit in person you just get certain vibes. I got that from chatting with Yessoufou at EYBL events. I was really surprised that he wasn’t one of the first offers after the live May event in Indianapolis. I kept waiting and waiting, and then it came just a few days ago. On top of that he is supposed to hold off and take his final official visit to Kentucky per the urging of Pope. Although some tough competitors are involved, I can emphasize enough how big of a deal that is. I would be surprised if he comes off the board early, so the Cats get that critical opportunity to make the last impression.
It is still too early to tell about a lot of these players that even have offers. I have been told it is going to be a wait and see deal on how the official visits pan out. Caleb Wilson is an interesting one though. Kentucky wasn’t really even in contact for much of the summer, but they have made a strong push. He included UK on his long list of finalists. I originally put in this post that a visit hasn't been set up yet, but there is one for September 13. This is their best opportunity to flip a top-five type of player.
I’d like to look at Mark Pope first before we get into players. There are questions on how well he will recruit. The only body of work we have so far is from this spring’s transfer portal. I give him an A grade for that job. He took a totally bare roster, and turned it into a top-20 type of team within two months. Not only he did bring in quantity, he added quality as well. They are deep with good players at just about every position. The more I watched film of each one the more obvious it was of how well they mesh together, and how they fit what Pope wants to do. A lot of boxes get checked off with this team.
But the question regarding Pope’s ability to recruit traditional high school players at a Kentucky type of elite level remains to be seen. In fairness, it will take time. Recruits will want to see what his team looks like. However, the biggest question will be whether he can develop first round draft picks that go on to get the second maximum NBA contract. He has yet to do that, and this is what the five-stars want to see.
John Calipari obviously had that whipped. He could go into any living room, and unveil a list a mile long of his former players who achieved multi-generational wealth. The naysayers could allude to talents like Anthony Davis, De’Aaron Fox, Shai-Gilgeous Alexander, and scores of others and say they could have gotten rich via any college program. That was a moot point. Calipari had the achievements, and he didn’t have to try hard to sell it.
This is where Pope needs to get to a degree. He doesn’t have to have as many, but he needs to inspire confidence that he can get guys to walk across the stage. Nate Oats and Danny Hurley faced the same hurdles. They didn’t have future basketball tycoons playing at Buffalo or Rhode Island. It took time, and it will be incremental for Pope as well. As he has success this will be an easier pitch.
It is easier to expand this line of thought by looking at individual players.
Jasper Johnson – He has a list of five finalists, but this is a three horse race between Kentucky, Alabama, and North Carolina. The Crimson Tide has come on of late, and is widely considered the favorite right now. Some might not understand that interest, but Nate Oats has one of the very top hot programs in the country right now, and it is not slowing down. We know the on-court accomplishments, but they also have a new arena in the works, their NIL is buttoned down, and there have been four first-round draft picks since 2020.
We have been told the last factor is the sticking point. There are some concerns that Pope has not developed that first-round pick, and Johnson sees himself as a player with that talent and potential. Kentucky also may not be offered quite as much in NIL, but that can be worked out because he would get a ton of endorsements if the local kid chose his hometown school. Oats has also been successful in this type of venture. Last year he lured Jarin Stevenson away from the Tar Heels. He lived ten minutes from the Chapel Hill campus, and his mom played on UNC’s women’s team. There was also a take among the schools involved that is he chose to attend a high school out of the state of Kentucky then the race would be open for all three schools.
I believe that Bama is the favorite, but it is in pencil. If he was announcing in November after spending a few months at Overtime Elite in Atlanta it would be easier to pull out the ink pen. But he is announcing in late August. He has been in Lexington the last few weeks, and there is still going to be plenty of time for the coaches and Big Blue Nation to throw the kitchen sink at him. There is going to be a ton of pressure to say no to, and I’m unsure that can and will happen. If I’m Oats I would be very uneasy about this.
Malachi Moreno – Could some of the pressure come from another in-state star? Moreno and Johnson have a good relationship. They have been on campus together this summer. I think this is a Kentucky/Indiana race. The Hoosiers have long been considered the favorite, but it has flipped in my opinion, and it helped go in that direction when his brother became more involved in the process. This one isn’t in ink yet, but there is more of a confident feeling at this moment with Moreno wearing blue than Johnson in crimson. Remember that recruiting is fluid, and it could change overnight. But this is the feel as I type this. He will probably take some visits to other places in the fall, but if there is a back-door leader from off the pace that would entail an absolute game changing official. Speaking of visits, Moreno will take his during the Big Blue Madness weekend on October 11.
Tounde Yessoufou - Sometimes when you talk to a recruit in person you just get certain vibes. I got that from chatting with Yessoufou at EYBL events. I was really surprised that he wasn’t one of the first offers after the live May event in Indianapolis. I kept waiting and waiting, and then it came just a few days ago. On top of that he is supposed to hold off and take his final official visit to Kentucky per the urging of Pope. Although some tough competitors are involved, I can emphasize enough how big of a deal that is. I would be surprised if he comes off the board early, so the Cats get that critical opportunity to make the last impression.
It is still too early to tell about a lot of these players that even have offers. I have been told it is going to be a wait and see deal on how the official visits pan out. Caleb Wilson is an interesting one though. Kentucky wasn’t really even in contact for much of the summer, but they have made a strong push. He included UK on his long list of finalists. I originally put in this post that a visit hasn't been set up yet, but there is one for September 13. This is their best opportunity to flip a top-five type of player.
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