Kentucky Wildcats and Indiana Hoosiers are going head-to-head for Keion Brooks

Can John Calipari pull 2019 forward Keion Brooks from the grasps of his home state?

It looks like he will have to battle the local Indiana Hoosiers to do so.

In a recent update, Rivals recruiting analyst Corey Evans said he believes Brooks’ recruitment will come down to the Hoosiers and the Wildcats, although Michigan State has been a popular choice for many in the recruiting world.

If so, it will be one of the first big Calipari-Archie Miller recruiting battle. It was thought Romeo Langford could be a Kentucky-Indiana battle, but we all know how that turned out.

Brooks is ranked as the 28th best recruit in the country for the Class of 2019 by the 247 Sports Composite, though 247 actually has him ranked significantly higher at 16 in their own rankings.

As one of the best, if not the best, player in Indiana, it is easy to see why Miller would be pursuing Brooks so heavily.

Miller has made it a point to try to keep top talent in Indiana, as evidenced by Langford and also by Trayce Jackson-Davis, Brooks’ AAU teammate who is ranked 23rd nationally in the 247 Composite.

There has been talk that Brooks and Jackson-Davis could be a package deal in college, and if so, that would be at IU in all likelihood. Jackson-Davis does have an offer from Michigan State, but is viewed as a heavy Indiana lean.

Calipari watched Brooks while in Dallas for the Nike EYBL event last weekend, and Calipari had an in-home visit with Brooks recently, according to 247’s Chris Fisher.

Brooks picked up a Kentucky offer last September and visited for Big Blue Madness a month later, but if Calipari wants to add Brooks into the fold for the 2019 class, it looks like he will have quite a bit of ground to make up to leap Indiana and Michigan State.

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