Cason Wallace commits to Kentucky over Tennessee

John Calipari and the Kentucky Wildcats have been getting back to the level of recruiting that we were used to seeing when Calipari first arrived in Lexington.

Calipari had already landed the No. 1 overall player in the class with Shaedon Sharpe and the No. 6 overall player in Chris Livingston.

Now, they have added their third top-10 recruit for the 2022 class, as Cason Wallace announced his commitment to Kentucky tonight.

This is the first time that Calipari has landed three top-10 recruits in the same class since Julius Randle (No. 2), Andrew Harrison (No. 5), and Aaron Harrison (No. 6) in 2013.

Wallace picked the Cats over the UTSA Roadrunners, Tennessee Volunteers and Texas Longhorns, giving the Cats the No. 1 overall recruiting class for 2022 according to 247 Sports’ Composite rankings with a 70.00 score, less than a point ahead of Duke at No. 2.

The 6-foot-4 guard is ranked as the No. 7 overall player and the No. 2 overall combo guard in the class and is the No. 1 overall player from the state of Texas.

Kentucky first offered a scholarship to Wallace in July this year. Before that, Tennessee was viewed as the heavy favorite, so much so that some believed the Vols would win out even if Calipari offered.

That proved to be false, as Kentucky quickly ascended into the driver’s seat once an offer was extended, and the rest is history. And it certainly feels good to get a big win over Tennessee after what happened this weekend.

Wallace is an excellent defender which is why 247 Sports’ recruiting analyst Brandon Jenkins compared him to Jrue Holiday of the New Orleans Pelicans.

Here is Jenkins’ full scouting report of Wallace:

“One of the best defensive playmakers in the class, Wallace is more than capable of locking opponents up as he controls each game with his length and activity. He has an alpha male mentality, is a deflection magnet, and is one of the best transitional shot blockers in the country from the guard position. Offensively, he is a bit mechanical but still very productive nonetheless. He is a comfortable pull-up jump shooter who is capable of putting points on the board from all three levels. He also can play on or off the ball and is similarly versatile in terms of his ability to play off a ball-screen or be an effective spot-up player on the weak-side of the floor. Wallace has the long-term upside to fill a role at the highest level of the sport for multiple years.”

During the Nike EYBL, Wallace was named The Circuit’s Most Valuable Player after he averaged 15.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 1.3 steals over seven games while shooting 51.2% overall, 37% from 3, and 83.3% from the free throw line.

Wallace was also named Second Team All-Peach Jam when he averaged 14.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.3 blocks, and 1.1 steals while shooting 47.8% overall, 35.2% from 3, and 84% from the free throw line. He led Pro Skills to a 12-1 record over the two weeks.

This is a massive get for Kentucky, as Wallace’s playmaking and defensive skills are going to mesh well with the players that will be around him.

Now, let’s check out some highlights of the newest Wildcat!

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