RJ Hampton to stay in 2020 class

One of the top players in the 2020 class announced that he is not reclassifying.

RJ Hampton, the 4th-ranked player in 2020, announced the decision on his USA Today blog that, after much consideration, he will not move into 2019.

“Ultimately, what led me to my decision was just wanting to stay with my friends and not rushing my process. I’ve had two great years of high school and I want to finish out strong over the next two years.

“I definitely wanted to go ahead and get this information out to help the schools that are recruiting me because they’ve been waiting to get my decision on everything.”

Hampton has yet to receive an offer from Kentucky, but it would be no surprise if an offer from the Wildcats doesn’t come sooner rather than later, even though he’s sticking to 2020.

After all, Kentucky has expressed quite a bit of interest lately, and it doesn’t hurt that Wildcat commitment Tyrese Maxey has been talking to Hampton about joining the 2019 class and coming to Kentucky, though that obviously won’t happen now. Hampton is listed as a combo guard and seems like he would have been a great fit with Maxey, who can play off the ball as well.

Hampton’s recruitment looks like it is going to be a battle of the top programs in the country. The Kentucky Wildcats, Duke Blue Devils, and Kansas Jayhawks are heavily involved, as are the home-state Texas Longhorns among others. Penny Hardaway and the Memphis Tigers are even getting some buzz, as they’ll host Hampton for a visit this fall.

Duke is currently viewed as the leader, but with his decision to bypass reclassification, it will be interesting to see how each of these programs recruit Hampton going forward. Many assumed he was going to make the jump to 2020.

Hampton’s recruitment will certainly be one to watch.