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Nolan Hickman and Bryce Hopkins sign with Kentucky

The Cats land three signatures on the first day of the fall signing period.

The Kentucky Wildcats are off to a great start on the 2021 recruiting class, as they already signed five-star center Daimion Collins earlier today.

Now, they’ve added signatures from four-star forward Bryce Hopkins and four-star point guard Nolan Hickman.

Hickman, a 6-2 guard, is currently ranked as the No. 42 player in the class, according to 247 Sports Composite. He’s also the No. 6 point guard.

Back on August 22nd, Hickman became the first player to join the 2021 class for Kentucky, and in recent weeks, we have seen the additions of Hopkins and Collins.

Here is the scouting report for Hickman from 247 Sports’ Josh Gershon:

“Point guard with good size and length. Plus athlete with frame that will allow for strength with maturity. Competitor with impressive mental makeup. Does nice job balancing shooting and creating for others. Versatile scorer and savvy facilitator. Strong on ball defender. Has both high floor and high ceiling. Easy high major starter with NBA upside.”

This is a very good addition for Kentucky, and we should all expect to see his ranking be on the rise during his senior season of high school.

Hopkins, a 6-7 forward, is ranked as the No. 29 player in the recruiting class, according to 247 Sports Composite. He originally committed to Kentucky on October 26. Kentucky was far from his only option as he was also heavily recruited from Wisconsin, Indiana, Xavier and Louisville.

Hopkins should have a chance to play significant minutes next season, as many of Kentucky’s recruits in their top-ranked Class of 2020 will be expected to go pro after their first season.

Here is the scouting report for Hopkins from 247 Sports’ Evan Daniels:

“A versatile prospect, Hopkins is best utilized as a face up forward, but he has the skill to play out on the perimeter at the three-spot. Hopkins grew to 6-7 during his junior season and his body has continued to progress. He has an impressive feel for the game, a good skill set and is an aggressive scorer that can score it from all three-levels. Hopkins is particularly effective out of the high post, where he can make plays off the dribble or make the right pinpoint pass. Hopkins is also an active rebounder that gets on the backboard and is capable of grabbing a board and starting the break. On the flip side, Hopkins lacks consistency as a long-range threat, and is just an OK athlete.”

The fall signing period closes on November 18.

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