The Kentucky recruiting cycle never stops, even in the heat of the summer. John Calipari made his latest move on Tuesday. After an unofficial visit, the team offered five-star recruit Keldon Johnson a scholarship for the 2018-19 season. The Wildcats dominate the recruiting rankings year after year, so it would be no surprise if Johnson decided to jump on board. The program is going to have some competition for the wing's services, though.
Johnson gets his offer
The visit was unexpected and didn't count towards any official total. It's not clear if Johnson liked what he saw from Kentucky, but Kentucky must've seen something they liked from Johnson to offer him a scholarship on the spot.
The five-star shooting guard is ranked as the best player coming out of Virginia in next year's class, the second-best shooting guard, and just outside of the top ten overall - according to 247 Sports - he's a good prospect.
Keldon Johnson just told Scout that Kentucky offered him a scholarship during his unofficial visit today. https://t.co/YmbqIHdt4M
— Evan Daniels (@EvanDaniels) August 22, 2017
Kentucky may be a little late to the party, though. Johnson has already received offers from 27 schools, including the Wildcats. 247 Sports sees the Wildcats as having a better chance at picking up a commitment than the Maryland Terrapins. They don't have as good of a chance as the Texas Longhorns, however, who leads the way with a 44% chance at landing Johnson.
In other words, the Wildcats have some work to do.
Kentucky's 2018 class
Unlike in college football, there usually isn't much committing to programs years in advance. If Johnson decides to commit to Kentucky, he will be the program's first commit for the 2018 class. 247 Sports currently had Arizona atop the 2018 rankings, but that's without any five-star commits at the moment.
If history is any indication, the Calipari will have no problem filling out a class for the following season.
While they don't have any commitments, they have offers out for nearly every top prospect in the country. Immanuel Quickley is one of the top three point guards and a favorite to end up at Kentucky. If Johnson passes, top shooting guard Romeo Langford may still be on the table.
Top small forwards R.J. Barrett and Zion Williamson are targets with offers from the school. Top center Bol Bol is also on the list; power forward is the only position bereft of offers from the Wildcats. The College Basketball recruiting reckoning is almost upon the sport, so enemies of the Wildcats better enjoy this moment before the program shoots to the top of the rankings.