Recruiting update on Jaden Hardy

The Kentucky Wildcats have been heavily recruiting the 2021 class for a while now, and it appears that they are in a great spot to once again bring in one of the best classes in the country as it currently stands.

Jaden Hardy has been viewed as a heavy Kentucky lean, and many expect that the 6-4 guard, who is ranked No. 6 in the class by 247 Sports Composite, will end up in Lexington.

However, the door could be open for Hardy to end up somewhere else.

In this week’s edition of Twitter Tuesday, Rival’s analyst Corey Evans was asked if there was any top recruits that could end up elsewhere other than the clear favorites. To answer this, Evans talked about Hardy’s recruitment and noted that there could be a situation where Hardy ends up going somewhere else.

“A Detroit native that moved to Las Vegas a few years back, Hardy is down to a final 10. He has been a West Coast priority since he began high school. Mick Cronin has made the city of Las Vegas a priority since his hiring at UCLA, while Arizona consistently is involved for the best in its region.

“Don’t underestimate Oregon, either, which will enroll his brother, Amauri, as a graduate-transfer in the fall. Texas Tech is now a force on the recruiting trail and Michigan, the home-state program, could receive a visit from him in the fall, too.”

Although the door is still open, Evans still believes that Hardy most likely ends up at Kentucky.

“Add it up and there is enough competition for his services that could pull Hardy away from the Wildcats in the end. I ultimately see the five-star siding with UK, but the door is open for another program to win out.”

Also in the 2021 class, Kentucky is going after Kennedy Chandler who is ranked No. 10 in the class and his father announced that his decision will be announced this fall.

In the class of 2022 you have Skyy Clark, who is considered by many to be a heavy Kentucky lean, and he has the possibility of reclassifying to 2021.

You take both of those recruitments and throw in the high possibility that Devin Askew is back in Lexington for a sophomore season, then Coach Cal could have a difficult time sorting out his 2021 class in the backcourt.

With that being said, Hardy is a higher-ranked recruit than everyone mentioned and would no doubt be one of the best players on the team in 2021. So hopefully a loaded backcourt isn’t something that could push him away from Kentucky considering he wouldn’t have to worry about playing time.

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