College Basketball Recruiting

Wednesday Quickies: Basketball Recruiting Shakeup Edition

Kentucky’s recruiting efforts in the 2021 class are changing significantly.

By Zac Oakes@ZacOakes Aug 26, 2020, 6:40am EDT

Just a couple weeks ago, if we were projecting the Kentucky Wildcats’ 2021 recruiting class, it was easy to include a class that consisted of Jaden Hardy, Paolo Banchero, Skyy Clark, and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield.

Now, it looks like there is a possibility that the 2021 class does not include any of those prospects.

Of course, Banchero committed to Duke last week, and yesterday came news that Kentucky was cutting ties with Huntley-Hatfield, despite being viewed as the favorite in his recruitment.

As for Clark, Kentucky seems to still be a top contender, but Clark is a 2022 prospect that was once thought to be a lock to reclassify. But now, it seems Clark may be leaning toward staying in the 2022 class.

And there are rumors that Hardy may be considering going the route of the G-League but Kentucky still seems like the top college option.

Now, other names have begun trending for the Wildcats in 2021. Of course, Kentucky landed Nolan Hickman as a point guard in the class that came as a surprise to many, and Kentucky is becoming a popular pick for Bryce Hopkins.

Kentucky has also become involved with prospects like Hunter Sallis, another guard, and big man Daimion Collins, who was a heavy Texas target with Jai Lucas being involved in the recruitment.

The recruiting landscape for 2021 may be one of the more shifting recruiting landscapes in recent history with the ongoing pandemic. And for Kentucky, it will be fascinating to see which players will return.

Players like Devin Askew, Lance Ware, Cam’Ron Fletcher, and Isaiah Jackson are not guaranteed one-and-done players, although if we know one thing, that absolutely can change... and change quickly.

John Calipari has done really well at adjusting recruiting priorities and it seems like 2021 could be another class where the Kentucky coaching staff may have to do just that.