Matt Haarms decision update

There was hope Matt Haarms would commit to the Kentucky Wildcats as early as this weekend, but we may have to wait a little longer before the call is made.

According to Rivals reporter David Sisk, some schools still in the hunt for Haarms think his decision could be another week away. Kentucky has been viewed as the favorite, so if this drags on another week, perhaps he’s much more up for grabs to other schools than originally thought.

Earlier this week, Evan Daniels told the Herald-Leader not to assume Kentucky was the leader for Haarms.

“That’s not necessarily a fair assumption,” Daniels said. “I mean, could they be? Yeah. But I think people just look at a list and say, ‘Hey, that’s the biggest school on the list, so that’s where he’s probably going to go.’ Sometimes it works out that way. But not all the time.”

Last Saturday, Haarms, who will be a senior next season after leaving Purdue, released his list of potential transfer destinations, and Kentucky made the cut along with Gonzaga, Arizona, Arkansas, Texas Tech, Memphis and Minnesota among others.

Haarms is a 7-3 center who has averaged at least two blocks per game in each season of his three-year career. If he comes to Kentucky, he’d essentially replace Nick Richards as the starting 5 man. The departure of Richards and EJ Montgomery for the NBA Draft leaves a major frontcourt role up for grabs, and Haarms is about as good of an option that’s emerged this offseason.

In fast, ESPN ranks Haarms as the top frontcourt grad transfer and No. 2 overall prospect. If Haarms doesn’t pick Kentucky, John Calipari won’t have many other options. But with the reclassification process getting easier, we could see a frontcourt option emerge from the 2021 recruiting class.

For what it’s worth, there are currently no predictions as to where Haarms will land in the 247 Sports Crystal Ball.