DJ Wagner talks Kentucky and his recruiting process

Recruiting has turned around for the Kentucky Wildcats after John Calipari made the necessary changes during last offseason as they have a lot of the nation’s top talent coming for the class of 2022.

Looking ahead to 2023, the Cats are the current favorite to land the No. 1 overall player in combo guard DJ Wagner.

Jack Pilgrim of Kentucky Sports Radio caught up with Wagner at the Hoophall Classic on Saturday to talk about his recruitment.

Wagner isn’t like most top-ranked players his age, he keeps to himself and doesn’t look for attention on social media. Instead, he lets his play do the talking.

So far, he has only taken official visits to Kentucky and Memphis but as for right now he is focused on his high school season and the coaches that are recruiting him know that.

“When I talk to coaches, we have conversations — they know I’m focusing on the high school season right now,” Wagner said. “I’m still open to all opportunities. I’m still open to everyone. They all know I’m just focusing on the season right now.”

Wagner has ties to John Calipari as his father was a star for Calipari at Memphis in the 2001-02 season and was later the No. 6 overall pick in the NBA Draft.

Those ties to Calipari are a big reason why experts believe Wagner is likely to end up in Lexington. Even though Wagner says he is open in his recruitment, he admits that he likes what Kentucky has to offer.

“That’s definitely a great school, I grew up watching Kentucky. That’s definitely a great school and I like that school,” Wagner said. “But in general, I like college basketball. I really love all the schools that call me, appreciate all the schools that call and text me, stuff like that.”

Wagner was in Lexington back in October for Big Blue Madness, and it was the BBN that stood out to the 5-star guard.

“It was great. Kentucky fans, they love basketball,” Wagner said. “It’s a great atmosphere, so I had a great time there. Just interacting with the coaches, talking with the coaches. They’re just great people, you know? I had a great time there. I got to go to Big Blue Madness, and that just showed how crazy the atmosphere was and how the fans love basketball down there.”

The pro route has become a more popular option for top recruits, but as of right now, Wagner expects he will be going to college.

Kentucky currently has 100% of the Crystal Ball predictions on 247 Sports to land Wagner with three predictions currently logged.

You can check out everything Wagner had to say here.

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