Keldon Johnson on Kentucky Wildcats’ recruiting radar in 2018 class

Huntington Prep star Keldon Johnson is showing up on the Kentucky Wildcats’ radar as he looks at potential 2018 recruits.

Johnson, a five-star small forward from Virginia is ranked the No. 1 player in his state and No. 3 in the nation at his position. He’s averaging 21.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists on the Nike EYBL circuit.

Rivals’ TJ Walker reports UK has reached out to Johnson. It makes sense with Johnson being one of the biggest risers in the 2018 class this summer. He got a lot of attention after the first weekend of the Nike spring league, as only No. 1 recruit Marvin Bagley could outscore him.

“It was a lot more attention, I can’t lie,” Johnson said after that weekend, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader. “My phone was blowing off the hook every day.”

Johnson is now the 15th-ranked recruit in 2018 by 247 Sports, while ESPN has him ranked 18th. While UK is showing interest, Johnson is getting even more interest from other schools. He said Texas, Maryland, Oregon, UConn and Kansas are recruiting him the hardest, and he has scholarship offers from 20 schools, including SEC foe Florida, as well as rivals Louisville and Indiana, as well as Georgetown, where his brother plays.

Johnson said one of UK’s assistant coaches reached out to him around the beginning of May. He’s also taken a couple visits to Lexington.

“It was very professional,” Johnson said of his UK visits. “Great atmosphere. It was just a great place to be at.”

With the evaluation period having ended, Calipari won’t get a chance to go see Johnson play again until July. But he’s sure to hear from Calipari and co. before then.

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