Is Kentucky a contender for 2021 star Peyton Watson?

The No. 1 player in the state of California has become a hot commodity on the recruiting trail. Corey Evans from Rivals recently broke down Peyton Watson’s recruitment, including Kentucky’s chances on landing the 5-star wing.

John Calipari has yet to offer Watson a scholarship, but the Wildcats staff has remained in close contact during quarantine. Evans believes that, if a scholarship comes soon, Kentucky will definitely be a contender to land the 6-7 forward.

Here are the rankings of the remaining contenders, according to Evans:

1. UCLA Bruins
2. Oregon Ducks
3. Arizona Wildcats
4. Washington Huskies
5. Kentucky Wildcats
6. Michigan Wolverines

“The Wildcats have not offered yet, but are still among the leaders for Watson,” Evans wrote. “Kentucky has done a solid job of remaining in touch with the five-star over the past few months, but the program’s recruitment efforts have been made difficult due to the cancellation of the Nike EYBL season and the NCAA’s moratorium on in-person recruiting. Watson is not going to wait around forever, so chances are he will move on from the Wildcats and wrap up his recruitment if an offer is not extended in the coming weeks. If Kentucky goes all in, however, it may be hard to beat.”

Watson has a wide range of rankings across the many outlets, and comes in at No. 17 overall in the 247 Sports Composite. Kentucky is targeting several combo guards and point guards in the 2021 class, but Watson would bring a different look as a true wing. As noted by Evans, Kentucky had better make an offer quickly to remain in contention.

Read the rest of Evan’s breakdown of Watson’s recruitment here.